Epidemic Meaning
/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.
nounAn 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.
Sentence Examples
An epidemic has broken out.
A serious epidemic has broken out in Beijing.
The outbreak of a flu epidemic
CEFR Practice Quiz
The health officials declared an ____ of measles in the city last week.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The rapid spread of the virus led to a global ____ that closed borders.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"At that time, the city [Christiania, now Oslo] was in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and victims were dying at the rate of 60 a day. Bradshaw contracted the disease, and died on September 6 [1853]."
— 1950 January, “Notes and News: George Bradshaw's Grave”, in Railway Magazine, pages 61–62:
"Even before the pandemic, the United States surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, said the country was experiencing an “epidemic of loneliness,” driven by the accelerated pace of life and the spread of technology into all of our social interactions."
— 2022 April 20, John Leland, quoting Vivek Murthy, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"People are holding coordinated protests across UK towns and cities this weekend against what they call a “climate of fear” on the roads, and an “epidemic” of careless and dangerous driving that is curbing children’s freedoms and putting lives at risk."
— 2023 September 29, Laura Laker, “UK protests planned amid ‘epidemic’ of dangerous driving”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
"Lord Avonleigh was at once liberated from his imprisonment, well prepared to be considered, and to consider himself, a martyr to the cause of loyalty; and as the services of the rich nobleman,...his claims to notice and favour were most graciously acknowledged. Accordingly, he returned to his seat in a little fever of royal devotedness—it was the fashionable epidemic; and who coming from Whitehall could be without it?"
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 98–99:
"The tetany that was epidemic among slaved children was actually the result of severe calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D deficiency caused by chronic malnutrition."
— 2008, Harriet A. Washington, “Profitable Wonders”, in Medical Apartheid, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, page 62:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The health officials declared an ____ of measles in the city last week.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The rapid spread of the virus led to a global ____ that closed borders.