Pestilence (Noun)
Meaning 1
A serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The Black Death, one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, was caused by the bubonic plague, a form of pestilence that spread rapidly throughout Europe in the 14th century.
- The doctor specialized in treating patients affected by pestilence, and her experience with the disease was invaluable during the outbreak in the region.
- Quarantine stations were set up to contain the spread of pestilence, which had already claimed the lives of hundreds of people in the city.
- Historians believe that fleas that had bitten infected rats and mice transmitted the pestilence to humans, sparking the outbreak that devastated the medieval town.
- In many ancient societies, outbreaks of pestilence were seen as divine punishment, and the afflicted were often shunned and left to fend for themselves.
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Meaning 2
Any epidemic disease with a high death rate.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 3
A pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of; "racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation"; "according to him, I was the canker in their midst".
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.