Zoonosis
/ˌzoʊ.əˈnoʊ.sɪs/noun
A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Did you know?Zoonosis was coined in modern scientific Latin from Greek roots, and its rise reflects a very old idea: humans are not separate from the animal world, but vulnerable to it.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
zōion
“animal; living creature”
Ancient Greek
Greek
nósos
“disease, illness”
19th Century
Medical Latin
zoōnosis
“a disease of animals”
Late 19th Century
Medical English
zoonosis
“a disease transmissible from animals to humans”
Modern English
English
zoonosis
“an animal-to-human infectious disease”