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pestiferous

[pe-stif-er-uh s]
See more synonyms for pestiferous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. bringing or bearing disease.
  2. pestilential.
  3. pernicious; evil.
  4. Informal. mischievous; troublesome or annoying.

Origin of pestiferous

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin pestiferus plague-bringing, equivalent to pesti- (stem of pestis) pest + -ferus -ferous
Related formspes·tif·er·ous·ly, adverbpes·tif·er·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pestiferous

bothersome, contagious, diseased, harmful, infectious, noisome, noxious, pernicious, toxic, unhealthy, virulent, pestilential

Examples from the Web for pestiferous

Historical Examples of pestiferous

British Dictionary definitions for pestiferous

pestiferous

adjective
  1. informal troublesome; irritating
  2. breeding, carrying, or spreading infectious disease
  3. corrupting; pernicious
Derived Formspestiferously, adverbpestiferousness, noun

Word Origin for pestiferous

C16: from Latin pestifer, from pestis contagious disease, pest + ferre to bring
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 pestiferous
adj.

mid-15c., "mischievous, pernicious," figurative use of Latin pestiferus "that brings plague or destruction," variant of pestifer "bringing plague, destructive, noxious," from pestis "plague" (see pest) + ferre "carry" (see infer). Related: Pestiferously; pestiferousness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
pestiferous in Medicine

pestiferous

[pĕ-stĭf′ər-əs]
adj.
  1. Producing or breeding infectious disease.
  2. Infected with or contaminated by an epidemic disease.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.