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Glite Dictionary
contagious abortion

contagious abortion

8.8
An illness that spreads among farm animals and makes pregnant animals lose their unborn young and can infect people
  • noun
  • /kənˈteɪdʒəs əˈbɔːrʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aborto contagioso
  • Veterinarians implemented strict measures to control contagious abortion in the region.

Examples

  • The farm suffered an outbreak of contagious abortion last spring.

  • The outbreak of contagious abortion threatened to wipe out the farmer's entire herd.

  • Zookeepers are trained to prevent the spread of contagious abortion among susceptible livestock.

  • Veterinarians are concerned about contagious abortions in livestock.

  • The outbreak of contagious abortion threatened to wipe out the farmer's entire herd.

  • Veterinarians implemented strict measures to control contagious abortion in the region.

  • Zookeepers are trained to prevent the spread of contagious abortion among susceptible livestock.

Synonyms

brucellosis
vscontagious abortion
  • Specialized
2 8.2

A disease caused by bacteria that animals have and people can catch, causing fever

focuses on causing pregnancy loss in animals rather than general fever symptoms
Bang's disease
vscontagious abortion
  • Specialized
7.2

A disease of farm animals, especially cows, that often causes abortion and can infect people, also called brucellosis

describes the illness by its main symptom rather than by a specific name

Surface Forms

contagious abortion singular
contagious abortions plural

Morphology

contagious + abortion

The constituents 'contagious' (able to spread) and 'abortion' (loss/termination of pregnancy) together give a general idea of abortions caused by an infectious agent, so the basic compositional sense is recoverable. However, the phrase is a technical veterinary term referring specifically to infectious disease causing spontaneous abortion in animals (and possibly zoonotic transmission), a nuance a B1 learner may not predict from everyday use of 'abortion', so domain knowledge is needed.

Etymology

Contagious abortion comes from a simple farm image: a disease that is contagious, meaning it 'spreads' between animals, and that causes pregnant animals to have an abortion, meaning the unborn baby 'dies before birth'. So, the term refers to an infectious disease that makes animals lose their unborn young and can be passed to other animals.