murrain

[ mur-in ]

/ ˈmɜr ɪn /

noun

Veterinary Pathology. any of various diseases of cattle, as anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, and Texas fever.

Obsolete. a plague or pestilence.

Nearby words

murphy, frank, murphy, william parry, murphy-o'connor, murra, murragh, murrain, murray, murray cod, murray, gilbert, murray, james, murray, lindley

Origin of murrain

1300–50; Middle English moreine, moryne < Middle French morine a plague, equivalent to mor(ir) to die (≪ Latin morī) + -ine -ine²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for murrain

Murrain on you, old Franky, you never let a man speak his mind, and shame the devil.
Westward Ho!|Charles Kingsley
It is said by Whewell, that the murrain is supposed to have fallen only on the animals which were in the open pasture.
Epidemics Examined and Explained: or, Living Germs Proved by Analogy to be a Source of Disease|John Grove
The murrain demon is expelled in the same way as that of the cholera, and removed by the agency of the scapegoat.
The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. I (of 2)|W. Crooke
There has been a murrain among the cattle this year, and dead cows lay about in every stage of decomposition.
A Pilgrimage to Nejd, Vol. 1 [of 2]|Anne Blunt

What beasts could the boils break out on, when all were killed by murrain in verse 6?
The Bible: what it is|Charles Bradlaugh

British Dictionary definitions for murrain

murrain

/ (ˈmʌrɪn) /

noun archaic

any plaguelike disease in cattle

a plague

Word Origin for murrain

C14: from Old French morine, from morir to die, from Latin morī

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for murrain

murrain

"cattle plague," early 14c., from Anglo-French moryn, Old French moraine "pestilence" (12c.), probably from mourir "to die," from Latin mori (see mortal (adj.)).