bubonic plague

American  

noun

Pathology.

• bubonic plagues
  plural

1. a serious, sometimes fatal, infection with the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from infected rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes, especially in the groin and armpits.

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bubonic plague British  

noun

1. an acute infectious febrile disease characterized by chills, prostration, delirium, and formation of buboes: caused by the bite of a rat flea infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis See also plague

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bubonic plague Cultural  

1. A highly contagious disease, usually fatal, affecting the lymphatic system. The bubonic plague is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans by rat-borne fleas.

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Discover More

From 1347 to 1351, a disease known as the Black Death, similar to the bubonic plague, entered Europe from Asia and killed a large percentage of the population, sometimes wiping out entire towns. It caused widespread social changes in Europe.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bubonic plagues
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bubonic plague

First recorded in 1885–90

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Compare meaning

How does bubonic-plague compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bubonic plague vs. Black Death
• Black Plague vs. bubonic plague
• pneumonic plague vs. bubonic plague
• bubonic plague vs. coronavirus
• pneumonic vs. bubonic plague

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bubonic plague

The bacterium Yersinia pestis, which can cause pneumonic and bubonic plague, has been identified from time to time in Siberia, linked to exposure to vermin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Earlier research had shown that ancient strains of Yersinia pestis were missing some of the genetic features that eventually allowed bubonic plague to spread efficiently through fleas and rodent hosts.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Symptoms of the bubonic plague in humans typically appear within two to eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025

And if you go, is the employee at checkout yawning because of fatigue or the bubonic plague?

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

However, European writings from Roman and medieval times clearly describe the arrival of bubonic plague and possibly smallpox from the east, so these germs could be of Chinese or East Asian origin.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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