late 14c., "communicating," from Old French communicable and directly from Late Latin communicabilis, from Latin communicare "to share, divide out; communicate, impart, inform; join, unite, participate in," literally "to make common," related to communis "common, public, general" (see common (adj.)). Meaning "capable of being imparted or transferred" is from 1530s. Sense of "ready to converse or impart information" is from 1530s. Related: Communicability.

"not able to be communicated," 1570s, from in- (1) "not" + communicable. Earlier in a now-disused sense of "not communicative" (1570s). Related: Incommunicably.

"infectious, communicable by infection," late 14c., from Latin infectivus, from infect-, past participle stem of inficere "to tinge, dye; stain, spoil" (see infect).

"catching, having the quality of spreading from person to person, communicable by infection," 1540s of diseases, 1610s of emotions, actions, etc.; see infection + -ous. Earlier in the same sense were infectuous (late 15c.), infective (late 14c.). Related: Infectiously; infectiousness.

late 14c., "contaminating or contaminated, containing contagion" (of air, water, etc.); "communicable" (of disease); also "morally corrupting," from Old French contagieus (Modern French contagieux) and directly from Late Latin contagiosus, from Latin contagio "a touching, contact," often in a bad sense, "a contact with something physically or morally unclean, contagion," from contingere "to touch," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + tangere "to touch," from PIE root *tag- "to touch, handle." Figuratively applied to anything apt to spread from one to another (rumor, etc.) from 1650s. Related: Contagiously; contagiousness.

late 14c., "a communicable disease; a harmful or corrupting influence," from Old French contagion and directly from Latin contagionem (nominative contagio) "a touching, contact," often in a bad sense, "a contact with something physically or morally unclean, contagion," from contingere "to touch," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + tangere "to touch," from PIE root *tag- "to touch, handle." Meaning "infectious contact or communication" is from 1620s.

A distinction between contagion and infection is sometimes adopted, the former being limited to the transmission of disease by actual contact of the diseased part with a healthy absorbent or abraded surface, and the latter to transmission through the atmosphere by floating germs or miasmata. There are, however, cases of transmission which do not fall under either of these divisions, and there are some which fall under both. In common use no precise discrimination of the two words is attempted. [Century Dictionary, 1897]