pestilent


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pes·ti·lent

 (pĕs′tə-lənt)
adj.
1.
a. Causing or likely to cause epidemic disease: a pestilent swamp.
b. Infectious or epidemic: a pestilent disease.
c. Archaic Tending to cause death; deadly.
2. Morally or socially harmful; pernicious: pestilent writings.
3. Causing annoyance or disapproval: a pestilent fool.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pestilēns, pestilent-, from pestis, pestilence; see pest.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pestilent

(ˈpɛstɪlənt)
adj
1. annoying; irritating
2. highly destructive morally or physically; pernicious
3. (Pathology) infected with or likely to cause epidemic or infectious disease
[C15: from Latin pestilens unwholesome, from pestis plague]
ˈpestilently adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pes•ti•lent

(ˈpɛs tl ənt)

adj.
1. producing or tending to produce infectious or contagious, often epidemic, disease; pestilential.
2. destructive to life; deadly.
3. injurious to peace, morals, etc.; pernicious.
4. troublesome or annoying.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pestilent- (s. of pestilēns) unhealthy, noxious, alter. of pestilentus=pesti- (s. of pestis) plague, pest + -lentus -lent]
pes′ti•lent•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.pestilent - exceedingly harmfulpestilent - exceedingly harmful      
noxious - injurious to physical or mental health; "noxious chemical wastes"; "noxious ideas"
2.pestilent - likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease; "a pestilential malignancy in the air"- Jonathan Swift; "plaguey fevers"
epidemic - (especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously; "an epidemic outbreak of influenza"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pestilent

adjective
Extremely destructive or harmful:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
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pestilent

[ˈpestɪlənt] ADJ
1. (= infected, diseased) → apestado
2. (= annoying) → latoso
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pestilent

, pestilential
adjpesterfüllt; (fig: = pernicious) → schädlich, verderblich; (inf: = loathsome) → ekelhaft; a pestilent diseaseeine Seuche
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pestilent

[ˈpɛstɪlnt] pestilential [ˌpɛstɪˈlɛnʃl] adj (fam) (exasperating) → pestifero/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
A pestilent conceit, which so often will insist upon obtruding even when beholding the mightiest royal beadle on his throne.
Sea fowls are pecking at the small crabs, shell-fish, and other sea candies and maccaroni, which the Right Whale sometimes carries on his pestilent back.
Not content with trying to bring you to a bed of sickness, these lickspittles and pestilent old men are trying to bring me to the same.
"That, Sancho, thou art not," said Don Quixote; "for not only art thou not sage silence, but thou art pestilent prate and perversity; still I would like to know what three proverbs have just now come into thy memory, for I have been turning over mine own- and it is a good one- and none occurs to me."
The loss which America has sustained since the peace, from the pestilent effects of paper money on the necessary confidence between man and man, on the necessary confidence in the public councils, on the industry and morals of the people, and on the character of republican government, constitutes an enormous debt against the States chargeable with this unadvised measure, which must long remain unsatisfied; or rather an accumulation of guilt, which can be expiated no otherwise than by a voluntary sacrifice on the altar of justice, of the power which has been the instrument of it.
Never can there come fog too thick, never can there come mud and mire too deep, to assort with the groping and floundering condition which this High Court of Chancery, most pestilent of hoary sinners, holds this day in the sight of heaven and earth.
Life has become a hell for me, a pestilent, militant hell!
It was long before I cured myself of so pestilent a habit; and I am not yet so perfectly well of it that I could be safely trusted with a fascinating book and a submissive listener.
The latter character carried it hollow at this period of the voyage, and triumphed over the Sanguine One at every meal, by inquiring where he supposed the Great Western (which left New York a week after us) was NOW: and where he supposed the 'Cunard' steam-packet was NOW: and what he thought of sailing vessels, as compared with steamships NOW: and so beset his life with pestilent attacks of that kind, that he too was obliged to affect despondency, for very peace and quietude.
Here is a fellow, who, infected by the most pestilent and blasphemous code of devilry that ever was known, abandoned his property to the vilest scum of the earth that ever did murder by wholesale, and you ask me why I am sorry that a man who instructs youth knows him?
The place was horribly haunted by clouds of mosquitoes and every form of flying pest, so we were glad to find solid ground again and to make a circuit among the trees, which enabled us to outflank this pestilent morass, which droned like an organ in the distance, so loud was it with insect life.
A few moments afterwards the other boys saw Hook in the water striking wildly for the ship; no elation on the pestilent face now, only white fear, for the crocodile was in dogged pursuit of him.