See Also: Epidemic(medicine)
epidemic(dictionary)
Epidemic(health)
epidemic(dictionary)
epidemic stomatitis(medicine)
epidemic roseola(medicine)
epidemic pleurodynia(medicine)
epidemic parotiditis(medicine)
epidemic neuromyasthenia(medicine)
epidemic nausea(medicine)

epidemic (iou)



epidemic adjective & noun. E17.
[French epidemique, from Old & mod. French epidemie from late Latin epidemia from Greek epidemia prevalence of a disease, from epidemios prevalent, formed as EPI- + demos people: see -IC.]
A. adjective.
1. Of a disease: normally absent or infrequent in a population but liable to outbreaks of greatly increased frequency and severity; temporarily widespread. E17.
Scientific American One rickettsial disease, epidemic typhus, has been for centuries a great scourge of mankind.
2. Chiefly of something deprecated: widespread, prevalent, universal. M17.
Listener It is..a type of character more than a political party. But it is epidemic enough..to produce..much damage.
B. noun. A temporary but widespread outbreak of a particular disease; fig. a sudden marked increase in the extent or currency of something. M18.
V. Brittain The ferocious influenza epidemic was already making us short of staff. New Scientist The epidemic of prejudice and discrimination towards HIV-infected people.
epidemical adjective (now rare) = EPIDEMIC adjective E17.
epidemically adverb M17.
epidemicity noun the quality of being epidemic L19.