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Glite Dictionary
locus of infection

locus of infection

5.6
A place in the body where an infection begins or is mainly found
  • noun
  • /ˈloʊkəs əv ɪnˈfɛkʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : locus de infección
  • The doctor identified the locus of infection in the patient's lungs during the examination.

Examples

  • In cases of pneumonia, the locus of infection is typically concentrated in the alveoli.

  • Resumption of control then became a lengthy process as the entire crop became a locus of infection.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The veterinary clinic was able to trace the outbreak back to the locus of infection in the contaminated water supply.

Synonyms

nidus
vslocus of infection
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A place in the body where an infection starts

is the precise body site where the infection starts or concentrates
focal point
vslocus of infection
  • Specialized
4.1

The main place in the body where an infection starts

is the specific body site where the infection begins or is mainly located

Surface Forms

locus of infection singular
loci of infection plural

Morphology

locus + of + infection

The meaning 'the specific site where an infection is located' is directly and compositionally derived from 'locus' (location) + 'of' + 'infection' (illness), following a standard English noun-of-noun pattern. Although 'locus' is somewhat technical, if a B1 learner knows the constituent words the phrase is immediately interpretable as 'location of infection'.

Etymology

The noun locus of infection comes from the Latin word locus meaning 'place' and the word infection, creating the image of a single spot in the body where germs gather. That's why it means the exact place where an infection starts or is mainly found.