pest

¹

[ pest ]

noun

1. an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance.

   Synonyms: annoyance

2. an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.
3. a deadly epidemic disease, especially a plague; pestilence.

   Synonyms: epidemic, scourge, pandemic

Pest

²

[ pest; Hungarian pesht ]

noun

1. Budapest

pest

/ pɛst /

noun

1. a person or thing that annoys, esp by imposing itself when it is not wanted; nuisance
2. 1. any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of land
   2. ( as modifier )

      pest control

3. rare.
   an epidemic disease or pestilence

Other Words From

• de-pest verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of pest¹

First recorded in 1545–55, pest is from the Latin word pestis plague

Word History and Origins

Origin of pest¹

C16: from Latin pestis plague, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

This is the tale of California’s long fight against an agricultural pest.

From Los Angeles Times

The cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove have been placed under quarantine Wednesday in light of an uninvited and unwelcome visitor: the oriental fruit fly, an invasive pest that attacks over 230 crops including fruits, nuts and vegetables.

From Los Angeles Times

The goal is to keep the oriental fruit fly from spreading to more crops while working to eliminate the pest.

From Los Angeles Times

Bats, the only flying mammals, provide no-cost pest control by gobbling up insects — including ones that target crops.

From Los Angeles Times

Its glacial pace, often accompanied by a viscous sludge it leaves behind, make it a messy if inoffensive kind of pest.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blight
• bug
• contagion
• epidemic
• infection
• plague
• scourge
• virus