||Fo"mes (fō"mēz), n.;
pl. Fomites (fŏm"ĭ*tēz).
[L. fomes, -itis, touch-wood, tinder.] (Med.)
Any substance supposed to be capable of absorbing, retaining,
and transporting contagious or infectious germs; as, woolen clothes
are said to be active fomites.