besmette

Besmette is a Dutch adjective form meaning contaminated or infected. It derives from the verb besmetten, to contaminate, and is used to describe a person, object, or environment that carries pathogens or other contaminants. In standard Dutch, besmettelijk is the related adjective that describes something as contagious, whereas besmette refers to the current state of being contaminated rather than the property of spreading disease.

Usage notes and examples:

- The besmette patiënt (the infected patient)

- Een besmette wond (an infected wound)

- Besmette materialen (contaminated materials)

The form besmettE appears in phrases with definite articles or possessives, resulting in spellings like besmette. In plural, you can also encounter besmette personen or besmette wonden, depending on the noun being described. The corresponding noun for the condition is besmetting (contamination or infection), with plural besmettingen.

Context and distinctions:

- Besmette describes a present condition of contamination, often in medical, environmental, or public health contexts.

- Besmettelijk describes a disease’s ability to spread from person to person, focusing on transmissibility rather than a specific instance of contamination.

- Related terms include besmetting (contamination/infection) and besmetten (to contaminate).

In Dutch-language health communication, besmettelijke risks are typically conveyed with careful use of both besmette and besmetting to distinguish between infected cases and the potential for transmission. The term is primarily used in Dutch and appears in clinical, laboratory, and news reporting contexts.