[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/pathogen/)

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# pathogen

noun (a pathogen, pathogens)

«pathogen» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A tiny living thing, such as a bacterium, virus or fungus, that can cause disease. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science and health lessons it explains how illnesses spread and how the immune system, vaccines, soap and cooking food properly protect us. Phrases: harmful pathogens, kill pathogens, spread of pathogens.

### Examples

- A pathogen is a germ that makes you ill. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x1)
- Viruses and bacteria can be pathogens. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x2)
- Washing your hands removes many pathogens. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x3)
- Cooking chicken properly kills the pathogens in it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x4)
- White blood cells fight pathogens in the body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x5)
- Not all bacteria are pathogens; some help us digest food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Formal science word; in everyday talk people say germ. Adjective: pathogenic. Most microbes are harmless, so pathogen does not mean every germ.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «pathogen» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pathogen/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«pathogen» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pathogen.html) on Mova free.