Smittle
/ˈsmɪtəl/noun
Contagious or infectious; also, to infect or spread infection.
Did you know?In older English and Scots usage, “smittle” could describe both something contagious and the act of infecting, reflecting how closely disease was associated with being struck or smitten.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*smei̯d-
“To strike, crush, or make a forceful impact; the reconstructed ancestral root associated with later Germanic forms.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*smitaną
“To strike or hit.”
Old English
Old English
smītan
“To strike, smite, or hit.”
Middle English
Middle English
smiten
“To strike; later also associated with being affected or afflicted.”
16th–17th Century
English/Scots
smittle
“Contagious, infectious; something capable of spreading disease.”
Modern English
English
smittle
“An archaic or dialectal word meaning contagious, infectious, or to infect.”