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A disease communicable by contact with a patient suffering from it, or with some secretion of, or object touched by, such a patient. Most such diseases have already been proved to be germ diseases, and their communicability depends on the transmission of the living germs. Many germ diseases are not contagious, some sp…

To soil, stain, or corrupt by contact; to tarnish; to sully; to taint; to pollute; to defile. Shall we now Contaminate our figures with base bribes Shak. I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated. Goldsmith.

In actual contact; touching; also, adjacent; near; neighboring; adjoining. The two halves of the paper did not appear fully divided . . . but seemed contiguous at one of their angles. Sir I. Newton. Sees no contiguous palace rear its head. Goldsmith. Contiguous angles. See Adjacent angles, under Angle.…

Union or connection; the state of touching or contact. "Point of contingency." J. Gregory.

Having extension of time, space, order of events, exertion of energy, etc.; extended; protacted; uninterrupted; also, resumed after interruption; extending through a succession of issues, session, etc.; as, a continued story. "Continued woe." Jenyns. "Continued succession." Locke. Continued bass (Mus.), a bass continue…

visions of the line, a brigade of artillery, and a regiment of cavalry. Gen. Upton (U. S. Tactics. )

A frame to keep the bedclothes from conntact with the person.

To soil by contact, as with soot, or with the coloring matter of badly dyed cloth.

In the game of croquet, to drive away an opponent's ball, after putting one's own in contact with it, by striking one's own ball with the mallet.

o called from its tendence to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.

Belonging to declension. Declensional and syntactical forms. M. Arnold.

Dissolving; liquefying by contact with the air; capable of attracting moisture from the atmosphere and becoming liquid; as, deliquescent salts.

Relating to the measurement of the tactile sensibility of parts; as, diaphemetric compasses. Dunglison.

Dexterity or skill in securing advantages; tact.

Characterized by tact and shrewdness; dexterous; artful; as, diplomatic management.

A part that transmits motion to another part by contact with it, or through an intermediate relatively movable part, as a gear which drives another, or a lever which moves another through a link, etc. Specifically:

of a ladder in position for climbing. Also used adjectively; as, echelon distance. Upton (Tactics).

ge, to cause a disagreeable tingling sensation in the teeth, as by bringing acids into contact with them. Bacon.

ating surface (Steam Boilers), that part of the heating surface with which water is in contact.

r plants, material prepared by the generative organs the female organism is brought in contact with matter from the organs of the male, so that a new organism results; impregnation; fertilization.