Spanish Conversation · Level 44
75 words
Spanish word
plaga
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈplaɣa/
Meaning
- feminine nounpest
Example
La plaga destruyó las plantas del jardín.
The pest destroyed the plants in the garden.
More examples
Una plaga de mosquitos impide dormir en verano.
A mosquito infestation makes it impossible to sleep in summer.
Core concept
Rats swarming through a grain store.
Common phrases
plaga de mosquitos
mosquito infestation
plaga de hormigas
ant infestation
Similar words
insecto: Individual insect belonging to groups like flies, beetles, or locusts.
bicho: Informal, general little creature or bug commonly noticed around people.
parásito: Creature that lives on or in a host and feeds from that host.
infestación: Heavy presence of pests in a place, causing nuisance or damage.
Definition in Spanish
Fenómeno dañino que aparece en gran número y provoca pérdidas o molestias, ya sean insectos, enfermedades o problemas sociales.
Word origin
Spanish plaga comes from Latin plāga 'blow, calamity' and shifts from meaning disease and disaster to swarms, crop damage, and figurative social ills.
Usage tips
- Plaga is the normal term for insect or rodent infestations, whereas contagious disease more often uses peste or epidemia, and that difference affects the appropriate English rendering.