Black Death

American  

noun

1. a form of bubonic plague that spread over Europe in the 14th century and killed an estimated quarter of the population.

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Black Death British  

noun

1. a form of bubonic plague pandemic in Europe and Asia during the 14th century, when it killed over 50 million people See bubonic plague

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Black Death Scientific  

1. An epidemic of plague, especially its bubonic form, that occurred in outbreaks between 1347 and 1400. It originated in Asia and then swept through Europe, where it killed about a third of the population.

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Black Death Cultural  

1. A disease that killed nearly half the people of western Europe in the fourteenth century. It was a form of the bubonic plague.

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Etymology

Origin of Black Death

First recorded in 1815–25

Compare meaning

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

• bubonic plague vs. Black Death
• Spanish flu vs. Black Death

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Black Death

The COVID-19 pandemic may not have caused 25 million deaths in Europe, as the Black Death did, but it did cause 7 million deaths worldwide.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

It killed up to half the population of Europe in the 14th Century when it was known as the Black Death.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The findings reveal a disease that repeatedly crossed borders, evolved into new lineages, followed human movement, and continued shaping Europe for centuries after the Black Death itself had ended.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Plagues have existed throughout history, said Heeney, from the Black Death of the Middle Ages ages to the 1918-20 influenza pandemic which killed an estimated 25-50 million globally.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

I don’t buy the gold eyeshadow, but I do pick up a bottle of Black Death nail polish.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson