epidemic

CEFRC1

/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden spread of a disease among many people.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A heightened occurrence of anything harmful.

Examples

  • A serious epidemic has broken out in Beijing.

  • An epidemic has broken out.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings
  1. 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.

  2. A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.

  3. The spreading of an idea or belief amongst a population.

More examples

In context
  • Epidemic hysteria occurred upon the incumbent’s reelection.

  • The outbreak of a flu epidemic

  • 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].

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The health officials declared an blank of measles in the city last week.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).