English Explanatory Dictionary

epidemic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.
  2. An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a human population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period; an episode of outbreak and subsequent high prevalence.
  3. A heightened occurrence of anything harmful.
  4. The spreading of an idea or belief amongst a population.
adj
  1. Of, related to, or being an epidemic: a widespread outbreak of disease in humans.
  2. Like an epidemic: widespread in a bad way.

Pronunciation

/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/ en-us-epidemic.ogg

Word forms

epidemic epidemics epidemick epidemical more epidemic most epidemic

Etymology

From French épidémique, from épidémie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, reanalysis of plural Late Latin epidēmia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδήμιος (epidḗmios), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). By surface analysis, epi- (“on”) + demic (“of the people”).

Synonyms

common ubiquitous disseminated far-flung extensive pervasive predominant prevailing prevalent regnant rife spread out systemic universal widespread

Related words

ecdemic endemic pandemic quademic tridemic tripledemic twindemic murrain pestilence epidemiology enzootic epizootic

Derived words

antiepidemic epicurve epidemic curve epidemiclike iatroepidemic infodemic interepidemic microepidemic midepidemic panepidemic post-epidemic postepidemic pre-epidemic preepidemic pseudoepidemic subepidemic syndemic virgin soil epidemic hyperepidemic ecoepidemic endemoepidemic epidemically epidemicity nonepidemic epidemic nephropathy epidemic polyarthritis epidemic roseola epidemic threshold

Translations

Arabic: وَبَاء Catalan: epidèmia Czech: epidemie Dutch: epidemie Finnish: epidemia French: épidémie Galician: epidemia Greek: επιδημία Hungarian: járvány Hungarian: epidémia Irish: eipidéim Japanese: エピデミック Latin: luēs Norwegian Bokmål: epidemi Norwegian Bokmål: farsott Norwegian Nynorsk: epidemi Occitan: epidemia Occitan: epidèmia Polish: epidemia Portuguese: epidemia Russian: эпиде́мия Serbo-Croatian: епидѐмија Serbo-Croatian: epidèmija Slovak: epidémia Spanish: epidemia Swedish: epidemi Vietnamese: dịch Welsh: epidemig
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