Main Entry:: ¹ep·i·dem·ic
Pronunciation:: \ˌe-pə-ˈde-mik\
Function:: adjective
Etymology:: French épidémique, from Middle French, from epidemie, noun, epidemic, from Late Latin epidemia, from Greek epidēmia visit, epidemic, from epidēmos visiting, epidemic, from epi- + dēmos people — more at demagogue
Date:: 1603

1: affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time <typhoid was epidemic>2 a: excessively prevalent b: contagious 4 <epidemic laughter>3: of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic <the practice had reached epidemic proportions>

— ep·i·dem·i·cal

\-ˈde-mi-kəl\ adjective

— ep·i·dem·i·cal·ly

\-ˈde-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— ep·i·de·mic·i·ty

\-də-ˈmi-sə-tē\ noun

Learn more about "epidemic" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "epidemic" in the Visual Thesaurus

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols