Noun
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a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of
"racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation"
"according to him, I was the canker in their midst"
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any epidemic disease with a high death rate
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a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
- pestis