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English to English noun
| 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 |  | source: wordnet30
| 2 |
any epidemic disease with a high death rate | | source: wordnet30
| 3 |
a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of | | Example: racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation
according to him, I was the canker in their midst
source: wordnet30
| 4 |
Specifically, the disease known as the plague; hence, any contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating. | | source: webster1913
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