pest

¹

[pest]

noun

1. an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance.

   Synonyms: annoyance

2. an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.

3. a deadly epidemic disease, especially a plague; pestilence.

   Synonyms: epidemic, scourge, pandemic

Pest

²

[pest, pesht]

noun

1. Budapest

pest

/ pɛst /

noun

1. a person or thing that annoys, esp by imposing itself when it is not wanted; nuisance

2. 1. any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of land

   2. ( as modifier )

      pest control

3. rare,  an epidemic disease or pestilence

Other Word Forms

• de-pest verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of pest¹

First recorded in 1545–55, pest is from the Latin word pestis plague

Word History and Origins

Origin of pest¹

C16: from Latin pestis plague, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Currently exporting to Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia, farmers like Campbell would be gaining access to a massive new market, once Zimbabwe passes China's compliance tests on pest and disease control.

Read more on BBC

Her family pays the city for their own dumpster bins to dispose of their own trash rather than leave it on the street to attract vermin or other pests, Ronquillo said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The much-loved national icon has faced increasing threats to its wild populations across much of eastern Australia in recent decades, from factors including land clearing, natural disasters, feral pests and urbanisation.

Read more on BBC

There are more than 1,400 pests and diseases on the government's plant health risk register, but Ips has been labelled "public enemy number one".

Read more on BBC

Ghanem went missing in May 2023 shortly after parting ways with the religious group and opening a pest control company that competed with a business operated by a group leader.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blight 
• bug 
• contagion 
• epidemic 
• infection 
• plague 
• scourge 
• virus