Pestis
/ˈpɛs.tɪs/noun
A plague or pestilence; historically, a deadly contagious disease.
Did you know?In Latin, pestis could mean not only a plague but also a destructive calamity, and it became one of the ancestor-words behind English words for pestilence and pest.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peis-
“to hurt, to damage, to destroy”
Classical Latin
Latin
pestis
“plague, pestilence, destructive disease; also a ruinous scourge”
Late Latin
Latin
pestilentia
“plague, pestilence”
Old French
Old French
pestilence
“plague, deadly disease”
Middle English
English
pestilence
“a contagious or destructive disease”
Modern English
English
pest
“an annoying or harmful creature; originally a plague or nuisance”
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