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plague

n. · v.
US //ˈpɫeɪɡ// UK //plˈeɪɡ// plague
  1. 1 disease (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    a very serious disease that spreads quickly and kills many people.

    a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically referring to the bubonic plague.

    Example

    In the Middle Ages, the plague killed millions of people across Europe.

    Example

    Historians estimate that the bubonic plague wiped out nearly a third of the European population during the fourteenth century.
  2. 2 infestation (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a large number of harmful insects or animals that arrive at the same time.

    an unusually large and destructive influx or infestation of insects or animals.

    Example

    The farmers lost their entire crop after a plague of locusts hit the region.

    Example

    The region suffered a devastating plague of rodents that contaminated the grain stores and threatened the local food supply.
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  1. 3 to cause trouble (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to cause someone or something a lot of trouble or pain over a long time.

    to afflict a person, place, or entity with persistent trouble, distress, or calamity.

    Example

    Injuries continued to plague the athlete throughout her professional career.

    Example

    The administration was plagued by corruption scandals that undermined public confidence in the new legislative reforms.
  2. 4 to annoy (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to annoy someone by asking them questions or bothering them constantly.

    to pester or harass someone incessantly with questions, requests, or complaints.

    Example

    The reporters began to plague the actor with questions about his private life.

    Example

    Persistent telemarketers continued to plague the household with unsolicited calls despite their registration on the do-not-call list.
Origin

From Middle English plage, borrowed from Old French plage, from Latin plāga (“blow, wound”), from plangō (“to strike”). Cognate with Middle Dutch plāghe (> Dutch plaag), plāghen (> Dutch plagen); Middle Low German plāge; Middle High German plāge, pflāge (> German Plage); plāgen (> German plagen); Swedish plåga; French plaie, Occitan plaga. Doublet of plaga. Displaced native Old English wōl.

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Idioms1 entry

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