epidemic
/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.80 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.
noun
An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a human population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period; an episode of outbreak and subsequent high prevalence.
noun
The spreading of an idea or belief amongst a population.
adj
Of, related to, or being an epidemic: a widespread outbreak of disease in humans.
adj
Like an epidemic: widespread in a bad way.
Example Sentences
- "At that time, the city [Christiania, now Oslo] was in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and victims were dying at the rate of 60 a day. Bradshaw contracted the disease, and died on September 6 [1853]."
- "Even before the pandemic, the United States surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, said the country was experiencing an “epidemic of loneliness,” driven by the accelerated pace of life and the spread of technology into all of our social interactions."
- "People are holding coordinated protests across UK towns and cities this weekend against what they call a “climate of fear” on the roads, and an “epidemic” of careless and dangerous driving that is curbing children’s freedoms and putting lives at risk."
- "Lord Avonleigh was at once liberated from his imprisonment, well prepared to be considered, and to consider himself, a martyr to the cause of loyalty; and as the services of the rich nobleman,...his claims to notice and favour were most graciously acknowledged. Accordingly, he returned to his seat in a little fever of royal devotedness—it was the fashionable epidemic; and who coming from Whitehall could be without it?"
- "The tetany that was epidemic among slaved children was actually the result of severe calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D deficiency caused by chronic malnutrition."
- "Epidemic hysteria occurred upon the incumbent’s reelection."
Etymology
From French épidémique, from épidémie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, reanalysis of plural Late Latin epidēmia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδήμιος (epidḗmios), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). By surface analysis, epi- (“on”) + demic (“of the people”).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: épidémique, epidēmia, ἐπιδήμιος
Usage
Inflected Forms
epidemics (plural)
epidemick (alternative)
epidemical (alternative)
more epidemic (comparative)
most epidemic (superlative)