plague

[ pleyg ]

noun

1. an epidemic disease that causes high mortality; pestilence.
2. an infectious, epidemic disease caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, characterized by fever, chills, and prostration, transmitted to humans from rats by means of the bites of fleas. Compare bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, septicemic plague.
3. any widespread affliction, calamity, or evil, especially one regarded as a direct punishment by God:

   a plague of war and desolation.

4. any cause of trouble, annoyance, or vexation:

   Uninvited guests are a plague.

   Synonyms: torment, bother, nuisance

verb (used with object)

, plagued, pla·guing.

1. to trouble, annoy, or torment in any manner:

   The question of his future plagues him with doubt.

2. to annoy, bother, or pester:

   Ants plagued the picnickers.

   Synonyms: disturb, irritate, badger, worry, fret, hector, harry, vex, harass

3. to smite with a plague, pestilence, death, etc.; scourge:

   those whom the gods had plagued.

4. to infect with a plague; cause an epidemic in or among:

   diseases that still plague the natives of Ethiopia.

5. to afflict with any evil:

   He was plagued by allergies all his life.

plague

/ pleɪɡ /

noun

1. any widespread and usually highly contagious disease with a high fatality rate
2. an infectious disease of rodents, esp rats, transmitted to man by the bite of the rat flea ( Xenopsylla cheopis )
3. See bubonic plague
4. something that afflicts or harasses
5. informal.
   an annoyance or nuisance
6. a pestilence, affliction, or calamity on a large scale, esp when regarded as sent by God
7. archaic.
   used to express annoyance, disgust, etc

   a plague on you

verb

1. to afflict or harass
2. to bring down a plague upon
3. informal.
   to annoy

plague

/ plāg /

1. Any of various highly infectious, usually fatal epidemic diseases.
2. An often fatal disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted to humans usually by fleas that have bitten infected rats or other rodents.
3. ◆ Bubonic plague , the most common type, is characterized by the tender, swollen lymph nodes called buboes, fever, clotting abnormalities of the blood, and tissue necrosis. An epidemic of bubonic plague in fourteenth-century Europe and Asia was known as the Black Death.

plague

1. A highly contagious disease , such as bubonic plague , that spreads quickly throughout a population and causes widespread sickness and death.

Notes

The term is also used to refer to widespread outbreaks of many kinds, such as a “plague of locusts.”

Derived Forms

• ˈplaguer, noun

Other Words From

• plaguer noun
• anti·plague noun adjective
• un·plagued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plague¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plage, from Latin plāga “stripe, wound,” Late Latin: “pestilence”

Word History and Origins

Origin of plague¹

C14: from Late Latin plāga pestilence, from Latin: a blow; related to Greek plēgē a stroke, Latin plangere to strike

Idioms and Phrases

see avoid like the plague .

Synonym Study

See bother.

Example Sentences

“Stalin’s purges were worse than any plague or infectious disease,” Zeldovich writes.

From Salon

The nationwide opioid crisis continues to plague California — even as individual counties record a plateau in deaths related to drug overdoses.

From Los Angeles Times

For decades, bottlenecks, delays, and diversions of donated funds have plagued the humanitarian and development sectors in the U.S. and globally.

From Salon

In November 2016, I developed an autoimmune condition that plagues me to this day and likely was brought on by the trauma of a Trump victory.

From Salon

But people living on Fern Meadow in Wrexham have been plagued by issues including unfinished roads and pavements, flooding, and loose sockets and holes in their ceilings.

From BBC

Related Words

• afflict
• bedevil
• beleaguer
• bother
• haunt
• hound
• infest
• torment
• trouble
• worry