What it means
عفونت (ofunat) means “infection” or “putrefaction.” It derives from the Arabic root ع-ف-ن (a-f-n), meaning to rot or become putrid, and in classical Arabic it described the spoiling of food or flesh. Persian absorbed it and narrowed it toward the medical sense of microbial infection. Today عفونت covers bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. A related but distinct term is التهاب (eltehâb, inflammation), which describes the body’s inflammatory response and often accompanies infection but is not the same thing.
How to use it
- زخمت عفونت کرده. (zakhm-at ofunat karde.) “Your wound has become infected.”
- عفونت گوش داری. (ofunat-e gush dâri.) “You have an ear infection.”
- آنتیبیوتیک برای عفونت نوشت. (ânti-biyutik barâye ofunat nevesht.) “He prescribed an antibiotic for the infection.”
- عفونت ادراری خیلی شایعه. (ofunat-e edrâri kheyli shâye-e.) “Urinary tract infection is very common.”
Cultural note
عفونت is among the most commonly used medical words in Persian and appears on prescription forms, hospital discharge notes, and everyday conversation alike. Iranians frequently consult pharmacists directly for minor infections before seeing a doctor, and pharmacists will use عفونت without further explanation. The colloquial verb عفونت کردن (ofunat kardan) meaning “to become infected” is fully standard and heard in both formal consultations and casual family conversations about a scraped knee or sore throat.