scourge

[skurj]

noun

1. a whip or lash, especially for the infliction of punishment or torture.

2. a person or thing that applies or administers punishment or severe criticism.

3. a cause of affliction or calamity.

   Disease and famine are scourges of humanity.

   Synonyms: bane, plague

verb (used with object)

scourged, scourging 

1. to whip with a scourge; lash.

2. to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.

   Synonyms: castigate, correct

scourge

/ skɜːdʒ /

noun

1. a person who harasses, punishes, or causes destruction

2. a means of inflicting punishment or suffering

3. a whip used for inflicting punishment or torture

verb

1. to whip; flog

2. to punish severely

Other Word Forms

• scourger noun
• scourgingly adverb
• self-scourging adjective
• unscourged adjective
• unscourging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scourge¹

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French escorge, derivative of escorgier to whip < Vulgar Latin *excorrigiāre, derivative of Latin corrigia thong, whip ( ex- ¹ ); (v.) Middle English < Old French escorgier

Word History and Origins

Origin of scourge¹

C13: from Anglo-French escorge, from Old French escorgier (unattested) to lash, from es- _ex- ¹ + Latin corrigia whip

Example Sentences

"The scourge of hunger... continues to atrociously plague a significant portion of humanity," he said, a day after the United Nations warned global hunger "is at record levels".

Read more on Barron's

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson disparaged the protests as an example of “the scourge of left-wing violence.”

Read more on Salon

Many signs these days point to a scourge of anger and despair among American men, who all too often don’t seem to have been raised to express a wide range of emotions.

Read more on Salon

That’s in a state with a high number of undocumented folks, so take it for what it’s worth — hardly a scourge.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The warmth and sunshine led to a huge increase in the insect population across the UK and aphids, the scourge of gardeners, boomed according to the Royal Horticultural Society, external.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• curse 
• pest 
• terror