Spanish word

pestilencia

Pronunciation

IPA/pestiˈlenθja/

Meaning

  • feminine nounplague

Example

En el siglo XIV una pestilencia arrasó Europa.

In the 14th century a plague swept through Europe.

Illustration for pestilencia (plague)

More examples

El temor a la pestilencia llevó a mucha gente a informarse sobre las vacunas.

Fear of the plague led many people to learn about vaccines.

Core concept

Acute contagious disease causing widespread mortality and major social disruption.

Common phrases

  • temor a la pestilencia

    fear of the plague

  • vacunas contra la pestilencia

    vaccines against the plague

Similar words

epidemia: Elevated number of cases of the same illness occurring together in a defined locality.
pandemia: Widespread infection event spanning nations or continents with sustained transmission.
brote: Brief, confined outbreak of disease affecting a limited group or location.
infección: Condition in which a pathogen colonizes the body and triggers disease.

Definition in Spanish

Enfermedad grave y de rápida difusión entre comunidades, capaz de causar muchas muertes y trastornos sociales.

Word origin

Derived directly from Latin pestilentia, based on pestis 'plague' plus the suffix -entia denoting a condition that spreads.

Usage tips

  • In modern usage epidemia or pandemia commonly describe outbreaks and brote refers to a local flare-up, while pestilencia signals extreme scale or a historical emphasis.

Other meanings

  • epidemicnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word