See Also: Pest(tourism)
pest(dictionary)
pest(encyclopedia)
pest(dictionary)
Pest(medicine)
pest control(medicine)
swine pest(medicine)
fowl pest(medicine)
Pest hotels(tourism)
PEST sequence(medicine)

pest (iou)



pest noun. L15.
[French peste or Latin pestis plague, contagious disease.]
A fatal epidemic disease; spec. bubonic plague. Now rare. L15.
A troublesome, annoying, or destructive person, animal, or thing; spec. an insect which attacks crops, livestock, etc. E16.
pest of society (a member of) a group of people regarded as behaving objectionably. tin pest: see TIN noun & adjective.
Comb.: pest-cart: for carrying away corpses during a plague; pest-house Hist. a hospital for people with an infectious disease, esp. the plague. pest officer: responsible for the control or extermination of animal pests; pest-ship Hist. a ship having a contagious disease, esp. the plague, on board.
pestful adjective pestiferous, pestilential E17-L18.
pesty adjective (US colloq.) obnoxious, troublesome, annoying M20.