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pandemic

[ pan-dem-ik ]
/ pænˈdɛm ɪk /
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See synonyms for: pandemic / pandemics on Thesaurus.com
adjective
(of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.Compare epidemic (def. 1).
general; universal: pandemic fear of atomic war.
noun
a disease prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world.
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Origin of pandemic

First recorded in 1660–70; from Late Latin pandēm(us), from Greek pándēmos “common, public” (pan- “all” + dêm(os) “the people” + -os adjective suffix) + -ic;see pan-

OTHER WORDS FROM pandemic

pan·de·mi·a [pan-dee-mee-uh], /pænˈdi mi ə/, nounpan·de·mic·i·ty [pan-duh-mis-i-tee], /ˌpæn dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/, nounin·ter·pan·dem·ic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pandemic

endemic, epidemic, pandemic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to pandemic

broad, catholic, common, comprehensive, cosmopolitan, empyrean, general, generic, regular, sweeping, total, whole, accepted, all, all-embracing, all-inclusive, all over, astronomical, celestial, cosmic

How to use pandemic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pandemic

pandemic
/ (pænˈdɛmɪk) /
adjective
(of a disease) affecting persons over a wide geographical area; extensively epidemic
noun
a pandemic disease

Word Origin for pandemic

C17: from Late Latin pandēmus, from Greek pandēmos general, from pan- + demos the people
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

Scientific definitions for pandemic

pandemic
[ păn-dĕm′ĭk ]
An epidemic that spreads over a very wide area, such as an entire country or continent.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for pandemic

pandemic

A widespread epidemic affecting a large part of the population.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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