- A usually fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague.
- A pernicious, evil influence or agent.
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Results for pestilence
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Veterinary Dictionary:
pestilence
A virulent contagious epidemic or infectious epidemic disease.
Word Tutor:
pestilence
IN BRIEF: A deadly disease; plague. Also: Something evil in effect; poison.
Power, like a desolating pestilence, pollutes whatever it touches.
— Percy Shelley (1792-1822)
Wikipedia:
pestilence
- For the Dutch death metal band, see Pestilence (band)
- For the Alpha Flight villain, see Pestilence (comics)
- For the 52 character, see Pestilence (DC Comics)
- For the song by From First to Last, see Ride the Wings of Pestilence
A pestilence is any virulent and highly infectious disease that can cause an epidemic or even a pandemic. The word can also be used about parasites causing large scale sickness and death, such as Guinea worm.
Originally the word referred to the disease plague, which is called pestis in Latin.
The 14th-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer spoke of "pestilence" in "The Pardoner's Tale", referring to the Black Death:
- Ther cam a privee theef men clepeth Deeth,
- That in this contree al the peple sleeth,
- And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo,
- And wente his wey withouten wordes mo.
- He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence.
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Translations for:
Pestilence
Dansk (Danish)
n. - pest, pestilens
Nederlands (Dutch)
plaag, verderfelijkheid
Français (French)
n. - peste (littér)
Deutsch (German)
n. - Seuche, Pest
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θανατηφόρος) λοιμός, λοιμώδης νόσος, πανούκλα
Italiano (Italian)
flagello, pestilenza
Português (Portuguese)
n. - pestilência (f)
Русский (Russian)
мор, бедствие
Español (Spanish)
n. - plaga, azote, flagelo, pestilencia, peste
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - pest, farsot
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
瘟疫
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 瘟疫
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 페스트, 흑사병, 해독
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) وباء, طاعون
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מגיפה (קטלנית), דלקת המפשעה
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pestilence". Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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