quarantine

quarantine definition - medical

quar·an·tine (kwôrˈən-tēnˌ)

noun
  1. A period of time during which a vehicle, person, or material suspected of carrying a contagious disease is detained at a port of entry under enforced isolation to prevent disease from entering a country.
  2. A place for such detention.
  3. Enforced isolation or restriction of free movement imposed to prevent the spread of contagious disease.
  4. A condition of enforced isolation.
  5. A period of 40 days.
verb
To isolate in or as if in quarantine.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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