■ noun
1》 a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically with the formation of buboes (see bubonic ~ ) and sometimes infection of the lungs ( pneumonic ~ ).
2》 an unusually large number of insects or animals infesting and causing damage to a place: a ~ of locusts.
■ verb ( ~s , plaguing , ~d ) cause continual trouble or distress to.
↘pester or harass continually.
Origin
ME: L. plaga 'stroke, wound', prob. from Gk (Doric dialect) plaga , from a base meaning 'strike'.