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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024plague /pleɪg/USA pronunciation n., v., plagued, pla•guing. n. - Pathologya widespread disease that causes a great number of deaths;
pestilence: [uncountable]Millions died from plague and famine.[countable]In the Bible, Pharaoh's Egypt was punished by ten plagues until he let the Israelites go. - Pathology[uncountable* usually: the + ~] a widespread disease caused by a bacterium, characterized by fever, chills, and exhaustion, carried to humans from rats by means of the bites of fleas.
- any cause of great bother and irritation, or of widespread misery or distress:[countable]a plague of robberies in the area.
v. [~ + object] - to trouble, annoy, or torment in any manner:a transportation system plagued by low revenues, bad service, and poor management.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024plague (plāg),USA pronunciation n., v., plagued, pla•guing. n. - Pathologyan epidemic disease that causes high mortality;
pestilence. - Pathologyan 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. Cf. bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, septicemic plague.
- any widespread affliction, calamity, or evil, esp. one regarded as a direct punishment by God:a plague of war and desolation.
- any cause of trouble, annoyance, or vexation:Uninvited guests are a plague.
v.t. - to trouble, annoy, or torment in any manner:The question of his future plagues him with doubt.
- to annoy, bother, or pester:Ants plagued the picnickers.
- to smite with a plague, pestilence, death, etc.;
scourge:those whom the gods had plagued. - to infect with a plague;
cause an epidemic in or among:diseases that still plague the natives of Ethiopia. - to afflict with any evil:He was plagued by allergies all his life.
- Latin plāga stripe, wound, Late Latin: pestilence
- Middle English plage 1350–1400
pla′guer, n. - 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged nuisance, bother, torment.
- 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged harass, vex, harry, hector, fret, worry, badger, irritate, disturb. See bother.
Plague, The, - Literature(French, La Peste), a novel (1947) by Albert Camus.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: plague /pleɪɡ/ n - any widespread and usually highly contagious disease with a high fatality rate
- an infectious disease of rodents, esp rats, transmitted to man by the bite of the rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis)
- See bubonic plague
- something that afflicts or harasses
- informal an annoyance or nuisance
- a pestilence, affliction, or calamity on a large scale, esp when regarded as sent by God
vb (plagues, plaguing, plagued)(transitive)- to afflict or harass
- to bring down a plague upon
- informal to annoy
Etymology: 14th Century: from Late Latin plāga pestilence, from Latin: a blow; related to Greek plēgē a stroke, Latin plangere to strike |