plague /ˈpleg/
 瘟疫,麻煩,災禍(vt.)折磨,使苦惱,使得災禍


 plague /ˈpleg/ 名詞
 聖西巴斯提恩(氏)病,鼠疫,瘟疫


 Plague n.
 1. That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation.
    And men blasphemed God for the plague of hail.   --Wyclif.
    The different plague of each calamity.   --Shak.
 2. Med. An acute malignant contagious fever, that often prevails in Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and has at times visited the large cities of Europe with frightful mortality; hence, any pestilence; as, the great London plague. “A plague upon the people fell.”
 Cattle plague. See Rinderpest.
 Plague mark, Plague spot, a spot or mark of the plague; hence, a token of something incurable.


 Plague, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plagued p. pr. & vb. n. Plaguing.]
 1. To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind.
 Thus were they plagued
 And worn with famine.   --Milton.
 2. Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass.
    She will plague the man that loves her most.   --Spenser.
 Syn: -- To vex; torment; distress; afflict; harass; annoy; tease; tantalize; trouble; molest; embarrass; perplex.

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 plague
      n 1: a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by
           Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans
           by the bite of an infected rat flea (especially bubonic
           plague)
      2: any epidemic disease with a high death rate [syn: pestilence]
      3: a swarm of insects that attack plants; "a plague of
         grasshoppers" [syn: infestation]
      4: any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent
         by God)
      5: an annoyance; "those children are a damn plague"
      v 1: cause to suffer a blight; "Too much rain may blight the
           garden with mold" [syn: blight]
      2: annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his
         staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his
         female co-workers" [syn: harass, hassle, harry, chivy,
          chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, molest, provoke]


 Plague
    a "stroke" of affliction, or disease. Sent as a divine
    chastisement (Num. 11:33; 14:37; 16:46-49; 2 Sam. 24:21).
    Painful afflictions or diseases, (Lev. 13:3, 5, 30; 1 Kings
    8:37), or severe calamity (Mark 5:29; Luke 7:21), or the
    judgment of God, so called (Ex. 9:14). Plagues of Egypt were ten
    in number.

      (1.) The river Nile was turned into blood, and the fish died,
    and the river stank, so that the Egyptians loathed to drink of
    the river (Ex. 7:14-25).

      (2.) The plague of frogs (Ex. 8:1-15).

      (3.) The plague of lice (Heb. kinnim, properly gnats or
    mosquitoes; comp. Ps. 78:45; 105:31), "out of the dust of the
    land" (Ex. 8:16-19).

      (4.) The plague of flies (Heb. arob, rendered by the LXX.
    dog-fly), Ex. 8:21-24.

      (5.) The murrain (Ex.9:1-7), or epidemic pestilence which
    carried off vast numbers of cattle in the field. Warning was
    given of its coming.

      (6.) The sixth plague, of "boils and blains," like the third,
    was sent without warning (Ex.9:8-12). It is called (Deut. 28:27)
    "the botch of Egypt," A.V.; but in R.V., "the boil of Egypt."
    "The magicians could not stand before Moses" because of it.

      (7.) The plague of hail, with fire and thunder (Ex. 9:13-33).
    Warning was given of its coming. (Comp. Ps. 18:13; 105:32, 33).

      (8.) The plague of locusts, which covered the whole face of
    the earth, so that the land was darkened with them (Ex.
    10:12-15). The Hebrew name of this insect, _arbeh_, points to
    the "multitudinous" character of this visitation. Warning was
    given before this plague came.

      (9.) After a short interval the plague of darkness succeeded
    that of the locusts; and it came without any special warning
    (Ex. 10:21-29). The darkness covered "all the land of Egypt" to
    such an extent that "they saw not one another." It did not,
    however, extend to the land of Goshen.

      (10.) The last and most fearful of these plagues was the death
    of the first-born of man and of beast (Ex. 11:4, 5; 12:29,30).
    The exact time of the visitation was announced, "about
    midnight", which would add to the horror of the infliction. Its
    extent also is specified, from the first-born of the king to the
    first-born of the humblest slave, and all the first-born of
    beasts. But from this plague the Hebrews were completely
    exempted. The Lord "put a difference" between them and the
    Egyptians. (See PASSOVER.)