name · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈpɛstələn(t)s/
/ˈpɛstɪlən(t)s/
/ˈpɛstlən(t)s/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈpɛstələn(t)s/
CMU ARPABET:P EH1 S T AH0 L AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
The personification of pestilence, often depicted riding a white horse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any epidemic disease that is highly contagious, infectious, virulent and devastating.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVII, Chapter iii, leaf 347r and hit was in the realme of Logrys and soo bifelle grete pestylence & grete harme to both Realmes "And it was in the realm of Logris; and so befell great pestilence and great harm to both realms."
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: plague, murrain
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Anything harmful to morals or public order.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation
according to him, I was the canker in their midst
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: canker
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: influence
5
noun
Meaning 5
any epidemic disease with a high death rate
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: plague, pest
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: epidemic disease
6
noun
Meaning 6
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
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pestilentia (“plague”), from pestilens (“infected, unwholesome, noxious”); equivalent to pestilent + -ence.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Polish:
Zaraza
— the personification of pestilence
Afrikaans:
pes
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Bulgarian:
мор
(mor)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Catalan:
pestilència
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Chinese Mandarin:
瘟疫
(wēnyì)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Chinese Mandarin:
大札
(dàzhá)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Czech:
mor
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Danish:
pest
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Esperanto:
pesto
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Finnish:
rutto
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Finnish:
kulkutauti
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
French:
peste
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Georgian:
ჭირი
(č̣iri)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
German:
Pest
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
German:
Seuche
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Greek:
επιδημία
(epidimía)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Greek:
λοιμός
(loimós)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Greek:
πανδημία
(pandimía)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Ancient Greek:
λοιμός
(loimós)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Hebrew:
מַגֵּפָה
(magefá)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Hindi:
महामारी
(mahāmārī)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Hindi:
जनपदमारी
(janpadmārī)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Hindi:
वबा
(vabā)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Hindi:
ताऊन
(tāūn)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Irish:
aicíd
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Irish:
plá
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Italian:
pestilenza
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Japanese:
疫病
(ekibyō)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Latin:
pestis
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Latin:
luēs
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Macedonian:
чу́ма
(čúma)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Macedonian:
мор
(mor)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Macedonian:
мо́рија
(mórija)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Māori:
mate urutā
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Māori:
urutā.
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Old English:
wōl
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Old English:
mancwealm
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Polish:
zaraza
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Portuguese:
peste
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Romanian:
pestilență
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Romanian:
ciumă
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Russian:
мор
(mor)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Russian:
чума́
(čumá)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Scottish Gaelic:
plàigh
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Spanish:
pestilencia
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Swedish:
pest
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Swedish:
farsot
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Turkish:
salgın
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Ottoman Turkish:
طاعون
(taʼun)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Ottoman Turkish:
خستهلق
(hastalık)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
Ugaritic:
𐎗𐎌𐎔
(ršp)
— any highly contagious epidemic disease
