different between pestilence vs scourge

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pestilentia (“plague”), from pestilens (“infected, unwholesome, noxious”); see pestilent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?st?l?n(t)s/, /?p?st?l?n(t)s/, /?p?stl?n(t)s/

Noun

pestilence (countable and uncountable, plural pestilences)

1. Any epidemic disease that is highly contagious, infectious, virulent and devastating.
   • 1826, Mary Shelley, The Last Man, part 2, chapter 2

     "Take it, Christian dogs? take the palaces, the gardens, the mosques, the abode of our fathers - take plague with them; pestilence is the enemy we fly; if she be your friend, hug her to your bosoms. The curse of Allah is on Stamboul, share ye her fate?"

   • 1949 - Bruce Kiskaddon, George R. Stewart, Earth Abides

     The snowshoe-rabbits build up through the years until they reach a climax when they seem to be everywhere; then with dramatic suddenness their pestilence falls upon them.

2. (archaic) Anything harmful to morals or public order.

Related terms

• pest
• pesticide
• pestilent

Translations

Further reading

• pestilence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• pestilence in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

French

Etymology

From Old French pestilence, borrowed from Latin pestilentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?s.ti.l??s/

Noun

pestilence f (plural pestilences)

1. (archaic or literary) pest epidemic; pestilence
2. extremely foul smell

   Synonyms: infection, puanteur

Derived terms

• pestilentiel

References

• “pestilence” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Noun

pestilence f (oblique plural pestilences, nominative singular pestilence, nominative plural pestilences)

1. pestilence (epidemic disease)

English

Etymology

From Old French escorgier (“to whip”), from Vulgar Latin excorrigiare, consisting of ex- (“thoroughly”) + corrigia (“thong, whip”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sk??d?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /sk?d?/
  • (US, also) IPA^(key): /sk??d?/

• Rhymes: -??(?)d?

Noun

scourge (plural scourges)

1. A source of persistent trouble such as pestilence that causes pain and suffering or widespread destruction.

2. A means to inflict such pain or destruction.
3. A whip, often of leather.

Translations

Verb

scourge (third-person singular simple present scourges, present participle scourging, simple past and past participle scourged)

1. To strike with a scourge; to flog.

Synonyms

• (to whip or scourge): Thesaurus:whip

Translations

See also

• Scourge in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “scourge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• scrouge