Black Death
Share:
Tweet n. An outbreak of virulent plague, especially its bubonic form, that killed large numbers of people throughout Europe and much of Asia in the 14th century. [Ultimately translation of Scandinavian terms for the bubonic plague, such as Swedish (den) svarta döden, (the) black death (possibly in reference to the dark lesions and gangrene caused by bubonic plague, or to the general gloom prevailing during epidemics ) : svart, black + död, death.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.