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Definition of pestilence noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pestilence

noun
 
/ˈpestɪləns/
 
/ˈpestɪləns/
[uncountable, singular] (old use or literary)
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  1. any disease that spreads quickly and kills a lot of people
    Word OriginMiddle English (also denoting something morally corrupting): from Old French, from Latin pestilentia, based on pestis ‘a plague’.
See pestilence in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: pestilence

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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