plague
/plɛɡ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but especially that caused by the above disease.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A group of common grackles (a blackbird), especially when flocking to e.g. parking lots at night.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland[…] It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again."
- "Great plagues, such as the bubonic plague or smallpox or syphilis or influenza, can happen again."
- "Ten Biblical plagues over Egypt, ranging from locusts to the death of the crown prince, finally forced Pharaoh to let Moses's people go."
- "A plague a both the Houſes, I am sped: / Is he gone and hath nothing?"
- "Bart is an utter plague; his pranks never cease."
- ""I'm not doing anything as far as that goes," admitted Tulloch. "In fact," he added ruefully, "that's the plague of it. I'm waiting to hear from a man who's waiting to hear from another man, and he's depending on something that may or mayn't, you understand.""
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /plɛɡ/