PLAGUE

I. noun see: plaint Date: 14th century 1. a disastrous evil or affliction ; calamity , a destructively numerous influx , 2. an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality ; pestilence , a virulent contagious febrile disease that is caused by a bacterium ( Yersinia pestis ) and that occurs in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic forms, 3. a cause of irritation ; nuisance , a sudden unwelcome outbreak , II. transitive verb (~d; plaguing) Date: 15th century to smite, infest, or afflict with or as if with disease, calamity, or natural evil, 2. to cause worry or distress to ; hamper , burden , to disturb or annoy persistently, see: worry ~r noun