5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Plague  \Plague\,  n.  [L.  plaga  a  blow,  stroke,  plague;  akin  to 
  Gr  ?,  fr  ?  to  strike;  cf  L.  plangere  to  strike,  beat  Cf 
  {Plaint}.] 
  1.  That  which  smites,  wounds,  or  troubles;  a  blow;  a 
  calamity;  any  afflictive  evil  or  torment;  a  great  trail  or 
  vexation.  --Shak. 
 
  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.''  --Tennyson. 
 
  {Cattle  plague}.  See  {Rinderpest}. 
 
  {Plague  mark},  {Plague  spot},  a  spot  or  mark  of  the  plague; 
  hence  a  token  of  something  incurable. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Plague  \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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  plague 
  n  :  a  serious  (sometimes  fatal)  infection  transmitted  by  the 
  bite  of  an  infected  rat  flea  (especially  bubonic  plague) 
  [syn:  {pestilence}] 
  v  1:  cause  to  suffer  a  blight  [syn:  {blight}] 
  2:  annoy  continually  or  chronically;  "He  is  known  to  harry  his 
  staff  when  he  is  overworked"  [syn:  {harass},  {hassle},  {harry}, 
  {chivy},  {chivvy},  {chevy},  {chevvy},  {beset},  {molest}, 
  {provoke}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  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}.) 
 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  PLAGUE,  n.  In  ancient  times  a  general  punishment  of  the  innocent  for 
  admonition  of  their  ruler,  as  in  the  familiar  instance  of  Pharaoh  the 
  Immune.  The  plague  as  we  of  to-day  have  the  happiness  to  know  it  is 
  merely  Nature's  fortuitous  manifestation  of  her  purposeless 
  objectionableness. 
 
 

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