Main entry: pestilence, canker
Definition: a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of
Usage: racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation; according to him, I was the canker in their midst
Main entry: pest, pestilence, plague
Definition: any epidemic disease with a high death rate
Main entry: pest, pestilence, pestis, plague
Definition: 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