bubonic plague

noun

, Pathology.

1. a serious, sometimes fatal, infection with the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from infected rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes, especially in the groin and armpits.

bubonic plague

noun

1. an acute infectious febrile disease characterized by chills, prostration, delirium, and formation of buboes: caused by the bite of a rat flea infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis See also plague

bubonic plague

1. A highly contagious disease , usually fatal, affecting the lymphatic system . The bubonic plague is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans by rat-borne fleas.

Notes

From 1347 to 1351, a disease known as the Black Death , similar to the bubonic plague, entered Europe from Asia and killed a large percentage of the population, sometimes wiping out entire towns. It caused widespread social changes in Europe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bubonic plague¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

But apart from family dynamics, Saklatvala was also deeply influenced by the devastation caused by the bubonic plague in Bombay in the late 1890s.

From BBC

Cockroaches carry a wide range of diseases and pathogens including bubonic plague, dysentery, hepatitis, hookworms, leprosy, salmonella and polio.

From Salon

Madagascar is one of the last places where outbreaks of human bubonic plague still happen regularly.

From Science Daily

Officials in central Oregon this week reported a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely got the disease from a sick pet cat.

From Seattle Times

On the larger side of the small-mammal spectrum are squirrels, known to spread bubonic plague, which was known as the Black Death when it killed 25 million people in Europe in the 14th century.

From Seattle Times