Pest Meaning
/pɛst/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pestilence, i.e. a deadly epidemic, a deadly plague.
nounAny destructive insect that attacks crops or livestock; an agricultural pest.
Sentence Examples
Get off me you little pest!
Dammit, that pest Nagisa, she really went and snitched on me to the teachers.
This farmer relies on beneficial insects for pest control.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The very annoying fly kept buzzing around my head, proving to be a real ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The farmer called an exterminator to deal with the ____ that had been destroying his crops.
Word Origin & History
In the 16th century in the sense of "pestilence" and specifically bubonic plague from Middle French peste (“pestilence”) (whence French peste). The other meanings are recorded soon after. Ultimately from Latin pestis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"From the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, pests and famines are reflections of the current administration’s lack of moral values and deviation from divine will. The head of the administration (the emperor in the past) would then issue an edict to sincerely repent and correct his wrongdoings."
— 2020 March 24, Qing Zhu, Zhang Ming, “Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, China Faces Plague of Locusts”, in Minghui:
"On a drizzly mid-January evening, I stood at the arches of the wall of Buda Castle, overlooking the Danube and the 19th-century Chain Bridge that links Buda with Pest."
— 2014 January 30, Seth Kugel, “Wintertime Bargains in Budapest”, in The New York Times:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The very annoying fly kept buzzing around my head, proving to be a real ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The farmer called an exterminator to deal with the ____ that had been destroying his crops.