My new favourite word: fomites

Adrian on 2005-09-04T02:08:08

A.Word.A.Day supplied this wonderful word recently.

fomites (FOM-i-teez) plural noun
Any inanimate object, such as a book, money, carpet, etc. that can transmit germs from one person to another.

A term ripe for application to flash drives, iPods, etc.