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bubonic plague
noun
: plague caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes
Examples of bubonic plague in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hamnet, undoubtedly her chef d’oeuvre, tells of a family in 1590s Stratford, England, during the bubonic plague.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
The quarantine and isolation measures that helped arrest the bubonic plague proved ineffective against the six pandemics of cholera that swept the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe in the nineteenth century.
—Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2020
Overall global numbers last declined about 700 years ago, in the wake of the bubonic plague that tore through much of Eurasia.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
The administration has, however, been quick to invoke the draconian British-era Epidemics Act of 1897, imposed during an outbreak of bubonic plague.
—Vidya Krishnan, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1803, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Bubonic plague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bubonic%20plague. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
bubonic plague
noun
: a form of plague that is spread especially from rats to humans by fleas and is marked by chills, fever, weakness, and buboes
Medical Definition
bubonic plague
noun
: plague caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia (Y. pestis synonym Pasteurella pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes compare pneumonic plague
More from Merriam-Webster on bubonic plague
Nglish: Translation of bubonic plague for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bubonic plague for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bubonic plague
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