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.

synonyms: pest, pestilence, pestis.

Roget 830: painfulness etc. adj.; trouble, care etc. (pain) 828; trial; affliction, infliction; blow, stroke, burden, load, curse; bitter pill, bitter draught; waters of bitterness.    annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener^†; bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles" [Hamlet], hornet's nest, plague, pest.    cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn; canker etc. (bane) 663; scorpion etc. (evil doer) 913; dagger etc. (arms) 727; scourge etc. (instrument of punishment) 975; carking care, canker worm of care.    mishap, misfortune etc. (adversity) 735; desagrement [Fr.], esclandre [Fr.], rub.    source of irritation, source of annoyance; wound, open sore; sore subject, skeleton in the closet; thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side; where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood.    sorry sight, heavy news, provocation; affront etc. 929; head and front of one's offending" [Othello]. infestation, molestation; malignity etc. (malevolence) 907.    ... show more

Roget 655: disease; illness, sickness etc. adj.; ailing &c.; all the ills that flesh is heir to" [Hamlet]; morbidity, morbosity^†; infirmity, ailment, indisposition; complaint, disorder, malady; distemper, distemperature^†.    visitation, attack, seizure, stroke, fit.    delicacy, loss of health, invalidation, cachexy^†; cachexia [Med.], atrophy, marasmus^†; indigestion, dyspepsia; decay etc. (deterioration) 659; decline, consumption, palsy, paralysis, prostration.    taint, pollution, infection, sepsis, septicity^†, infestation; epidemic, pandemic, endemic, epizootic; murrain, plague, pestilence, pox.    sore, ulcer, abscess, fester, boil; pimple, wen etc. (swelling) 250; carbuncle, gathering, imposthume^†, peccant humor, issue; rot, canker, cold sore, fever sore; cancer, carcinoma, leukemia, neoplastic disease, malignancy, tumor; caries, mortification, corruption, gangrene, sphacelus^†, sphacelation^†, leprosy; eruption, rash, breaking out.    fever, temperature, calenture^†; inflammation.    ague, angina pectoris [Lat.], appendicitis; Asiatic cholera^†, spasmodic cholera; biliary calculus, kidney stone, black death, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague; blennorrhagia^†, blennorrhoea^†; blood poisoning, bloodstroke^†, bloody flux, brash; breakbone fever^†, dengue fever, malarial fever, Q-fever; heart attack, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy [Med.]; hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis; bronchocele [Med.], canker rash, cardialgia [Med.], carditis [Med.], endocarditis [Med.]; cholera, asphyxia; chlorosis, chorea, cynanche^†, dartre [Fr.]; enanthem^†, enanthema^†; erysipelas; exanthem^†, exanthema; gallstone, goiter, gonorrhea, green sickness; grip, grippe, influenza, flu; hay fever, heartburn, heaves, rupture, hernia, hemorrhoids, piles, herpes, itch, king's evil, lockjaw; measles, mumps^†, polio; necrosis, pertussis, phthisis^†, pneumonia, psora^†, pyaemia^†, pyrosis [Med.], quinsy, rachitis^†, ringworm, rubeola, St.    Vitus's dance, scabies, scarlatina, scarlet fever, scrofula, seasickness, struma^†, syntexis^†, tetanus, tetter^†, tonsillitis, tonsilitis^†, tracheocele [Med.], trachoma, trismus [Med.], varicella [Med.], varicosis [Med.], variola [Med.], water qualm, whooping cough; yellow fever, yellow jack.    fatal disease etc. (hopeless) 859; dangerous illness, galloping consumption, churchyard cough; general breaking up, break up of the system.    [Disease of mind] idiocy etc. 499; insanity etc. 503.    martyr to disease; cripple; the halt the lame and the blind;" valetudinary^†, valetudinarian; invalid, patient, case; sickroom, sick-chamber.    [Science of disease] pathology, etiology, nosology^†.    [Veterinary] anthrax, bighead; blackleg, blackquarter^†; cattle plague, glanders^†, mange, scrapie, milk sickness; heartworm, feline leukemia, roundworms; quarter-evil, quarter-ill; rinderpest.    [disease-causing agents] virus, bacterium, bacteria.    [types of viruses] DNA virus; RNA virus.    [RNA viruses] rhinovirus; rhabdovirus; picornavirus.    [DNA viruses] herpesvirus; cytomegalovirus, CMV; human immunodefficiency virus, HIV.    ... show more

Roget 828: mental suffering, pain, dolor; suffering, sufferance; ache, smart etc. (physical pain) 378; passion.    displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet; malaise; inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit; taking; discontent etc. 832.    dejection etc. 837; weariness etc. 841; anhedonia^†.    annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation; plague, bore; bother, botheration; stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre [Fr.]; mauvais quart d'heur [Fr.].    care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark^†, dole, fret, burden, load.    concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache; carking cares; heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart; heavy affliction, gnawing grief.    unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation; despair etc. 859; extremity, prostration, depth of misery.    nightmare, ephialtes^†, incubus.    pang, anguish, agony; torture, torment; purgatory etc. (hell) 982.    hell upon earth; iron age, reign of terror; slough of despond etc. (adversity) 735; peck of troubles; ills that flesh is heir to" etc. (evil) 619 [Hamlet]; miseries of human life; unkindest cut of all" [Julius Caesar]. sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb.    ... show more

Dutch: pest, pestepidemie, pestilentie, pestkoorts
Polish: morowe powietrze, czarna śmierć, mór, zaraza morowa

Any epidemic disease with a high death rate.

synonyms: pest, pestilence.

Dutch: plaag

A swarm of insects that attack plants:
— A plague of grasshoppers.

synonym: infestation.

Polish: plaga

Any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God).

Dutch: gesel, hel, inferno, pest, plaag, verschrikking
Polish: pomór

An annoyance.

Cause to suffer a blight.

synonym: blight.

Dutch: pest

Annoy continually or chronically.

synonyms: beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, provoke.

Roget 830: cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain etc. 828; pain, hurt, wound.    pinch, prick, gripe etc. (physical pain) 378; pierce, lancinate^†, cut.    hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings; wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart; make the heart bleed; tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings; draw tears from the eyes.    sadden; make unhappy etc. 828; plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash^†, afflict, distress; cut up, cut to the heart.    displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet; faze, feaze^†, feeze [U.S.]; disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret^†, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune.    wring, harrow, torment, torture; bullyrag; put to the rack, put to the question; break on the wheel, rack, scarify; cruciate^†, crucify; convulse, agonize; barb the dart; plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side.    irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall; sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick; aggrieve, affront, enchafe^†, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper; give offense etc. (resentment) 900.    maltreat, bite, snap at, assail; smite etc. (punish) 972.    sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils; go against the stomach, turn the stomach; make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear; stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard; rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal^†, appall, freeze the blood; make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end; make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold; make one shudder.    haunt the memory; weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits; bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; add a nail to one's coffin.    ... show more

Dutch: uitlokken, kwellen, pesten, tarten