# fomes

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfəʊmiːz/

## Definitions
1. The morbid matter created by a disease.
2. Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people.
3. Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious.

## Etymology
From medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindling, tinder, etc. Gradually supplanted in use by fomite, a mistaken backformation of its plural form fomites, from Latin fōmitēs.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fomes