Pestilence - Definition
pestilence
n 1: a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by
Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by
the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal [syn:
plague, pestilence, pest, pestis]
2: any epidemic disease with a high death rate [syn: plague,
pestilence, pest]
3: a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of;
"racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation";
"according to him, I was the canker in their midst" [syn:
pestilence, canker]