plague

/pleɪɡ/

Origin

From Latin plaga (stroke, wound) via Old French plage

Meanings

1. (noun) A highly infectious disease that spreads rapidly and kills large numbers of people

   • The Black Death plague killed millions in medieval Europe
   • The village was devastated by the bubonic plague

2. (noun) A large number of harmful or annoying things

   • A plague of locusts destroyed the crops
   • The city suffers from a plague of petty crimes

3. (verb) To cause continual trouble or distress

   • The old injury continued to plague him
   • Technical problems plagued the project from start to finish

Related Words

• Forms: plagues, plagued, plaguing
• Synonyms:
  • (noun) epidemic, pestilence, scourge, affliction
  • (verb) torment, trouble, afflict, beset

Memory Tricks

• Think of the phrase "Please Leave All Guests Upset Entirely" (PLAGUE)
• Remember the historical Black Death - the most famous plague in history
• Connect with the biblical plague of locusts - a massive swarm causing destruction

Common Collocations

• plague victim
• bubonic plague
• plague outbreak
• plague-ridden
• plague doctor

Usage Notes

• Often used metaphorically to describe persistent problems
• The phrase "avoid something like the plague" means to stay far away from something undesirable
• In modern usage, more commonly used as a verb meaning "to persistently trouble" than referring to the disease