Added 9 October 2026
pathogen
/ˈpæθəd͡ʒn̩/ noun
In Latin: pathogenum Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pathogen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Any disease-producing agent (especially a virus or bacterium or other microorganism).
Origin
From patho- + -gen. Second element ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“lineage”) through Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “birth”)
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)