bubonic plague

noun

Definition of bubonic plague

: plague caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes

Examples of bubonic plague in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Untreated bubonic plague can turn into the more serious pneumonic plague, which causes rapidly developing pneumonia after bacteria spread to the lungs. Eric Levenson, CNN, "Plague-infected prairie dogs have shut down parts of a Denver suburb," 17 Aug. 2019 The sixth century was a rough time to be alive: Lower-than-average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere triggered crop failure, famine, and maybe even the onset of bubonic plague. Katherine Kornei, Science | AAAS, "‘Mystery’ volcano that cooled the ancient world traced to El Salvador," 16 Aug. 2019 The concern was that fleas could transmit the bacterial infection to humans, causing the bubonic plague. La Cañada Valley Sun, "La Cañada History: Once upon a time you could fish at Devil’s Gate Dam," 12 Aug. 2019 Bacterium responsible for sylvatic plague, which is also known as bubonic plague when the disease infects people, can be transmitted to humans by rodents and their fleas, a news release on Thursday said. Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Open space near DIA closed due to proximity to plague-infested prairie dogs," 8 Aug. 2019 It was even linked to an increase in shark attacks off the coast of Oregon and a spike in bubonic plague in New Mexico. John D'anna, azcentral, "For a while in 1983, sheets of plywood were all that kept the mighty Glen Canyon Dam from overflowing," 18 July 2019 All reintroduction programs run into problems, but black ferrets have faced one whopper of a problem: the bubonic plague. Dylan Matthews, Vox, "How to save a species (if you really want to)," 21 Nov. 2018 Yersinia pestis, the subject of her research, is the bacterium responsible for three bubonic plague pandemics over human history. Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Medieval European plague genomes hint at Black Death’s travels," 5 Dec. 2018 Last year, a bubonic plague outbreak hit Madagascar, killing over 200 people. Billy Perrigo, Time, "A Boy Contracted the First Case of Bubonic Plague Idaho Has Seen in 26 Years," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bubonic plague.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of bubonic plague

1803, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for bubonic plague

bubonic plague

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bubonic plague

: a very serious disease that is spread especially by rats and that killed many people in the Middle Ages

bubonic plague

noun
bu·​bon·​ic plague | \ bü-ˈbä-nik, byü-\

Kids Definition of bubonic plague

: a dangerous disease which is spread by rats and in which fever, weakness, and swollen lymph nodes are present

bubonic plague

noun

Medical Definition of bubonic plague

: plague caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia (Y. pestis synonym Pasteurella pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes — compare pneumonic plague

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