Transmissio

Transmissio is a Latin noun meaning transmission or passing across, and it denotes the act of sending or conveying something from one entity to another. It is formed from trans- “across” and mittere “to send,” and is used in various disciplines to refer to the process of transfer.

In biology and medicine, transmissio describes the spread of agents such as pathogens from one host to another. It covers modes of transmission including direct contact, droplet spread, vectors, and vertical transmission, and is a central concept in epidemiology, infection prevention, and public health strategies aimed at interrupting spread.

In technology and communications, transmissio refers to the conveyance of information, energy, or signals through a medium. It underpins data transmission over networks, wireless channels, and fiber-optic systems, and relates to technical factors such as bandwidth, latency, and transmission rate. The term helps distinguish the act of sending from the medium or the content being sent.

In the humanities and theology, transmissio is used in Latin texts to denote the handing on of beliefs, traditions, or doctrinal content. It appears in discussions of sacred tradition, liturgy, and the scholarly transmission of manuscripts. In modern usage, English equivalents such as transmission or tradition are more common, while transmissio remains a historical or philological term.

The English cognate is transmission; related forms include transmissible and transmissibility, and cognates exist in other languages, reflecting the same idea of passing something from one entity to another.