1. (n.) That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation.

2. (n.) 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.

3. (v. t.) To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind.

4. (v. t.) Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass.

afflict affliction aggravate aggravation ail ambulatory plague anguish annoy annoyance apply pressure badger bait bane be at be the matter bedevil beleaguer beset besiege bevy bitch black death black plague blandish blight bother bristle brown off bubonic plague bug bugbear bullyrag burden burn up buttonhole cajole calamity cellulocutaneous plague chafe charm chevy chivy cloud coax complicate matters concern covey crawl with creep with crushing burden curse death defervescing plague destruction devil discommode discompose disease distemper distress disturb dog drag dun epidemic epiphytotic epizootic evil exasperate exercise exert pressure fash flight flock fret gaggle gall get glandular plague gnaw grievance gripe harass harm harry hassle haunt headache heckle hector hemorrhagic plague hive hound importune inconvenience infest infestation infliction invade invasion irk irritate irritation larval plague lousiness miff molest murmuration murrain nag nag at needle nemesis nettle nudzh nuisance open wound overrun overrunning overspread overspreading overswarm overswarming pandemia pandemic peeve perplex persecute perturb pest pester pesthole pestilence pick on pique plague spot pluck the beard ply pneumonic plague pother premonitory plague press pressure provoke push put out put to it puzzle ravage ride rile roil ruffle running sore scourge septicemic plague siderating plague skein spring swarm swarm with swarming tease teeming thorn torment torture trouble try the patience tuberculosis tweak the nose urge vex vexation visitation watch wheedle white plague woe work on worry