black plague: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Academic, Historical, Journalistic
Quick answer
What does “black plague” mean?
The specific, devastating pandemic of bubonic plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, causing massive death and societal upheaval.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The specific, devastating pandemic of bubonic plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, causing massive death and societal upheaval.
By extension, it can refer to any similarly catastrophic, fast-spreading epidemic or used metaphorically to describe a widespread, destructive phenomenon.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both varieties use the term identically. "Black Death" is arguably more common than "Black plague" in general discourse, but both are understood.
Connotations
Identical connotations of historical catastrophe, mass mortality, and medieval suffering.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in everyday speech, appearing primarily in historical/medical contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “black plague” in a Sentence
The Black plague [VERB: swept/ravaged/killed] [OBJECT: Europe/the population].A study of the [NOUN: causes/impact] of the Black plague.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “black plague” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The continent was black-plagued by disease and famine.
- (Note: extremely rare and non-standard as a verb; this is a poetic/creative formation)
American English
- (No standard verb usage for this noun phrase.)
adjective
British English
- Black-plague era documents are scarce.
- A black-plague burial site was discovered.
American English
- Black Plague-era medicine was rudimentary.
- Researchers studied black-plague transmission rates.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Metaphorically for a market crash or catastrophic business failure (e.g., 'The scandal was a black plague on the company's reputation').
Academic
Primary context: historical/epidemiological studies of the 14th-century pandemic.
Everyday
Used for dramatic effect about a bad situation (e.g., 'That flu was like the black plague - everyone in the office got it').
Technical
Specific reference to the Yersinia pestis bacterium pandemic of 1347-1351 and its subsequent waves.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “black plague”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “black plague”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “black plague”
- Incorrect: 'black plague' (lowercase) when referring specifically to the 14th-century event. Correct: 'the Black Plague' or 'the Black Death'.
- Incorrect: Using it as a general term for any modern disease outbreak without historical allusion.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are generally used synonymously to refer to the major outbreak of bubonic plague in the mid-14th century. Some scholars use 'Black Death' for the initial pandemic (1347-1351) and 'plague' for later recurrences.
The term likely originates from the dark, gangrenous spots (necrosis) that appeared on victims' skin, or from the sense of 'black' meaning dreadful, gloomy, or terrible.
Only metaphorically or in historical comparison. In modern medical and scientific contexts, specific disease names (e.g., Ebola, COVID-19) or 'bubonic plague' are used. Using 'black plague' for a modern outbreak would be poetic or journalistic, not clinical.
When referring specifically to the historical pandemic, it is conventionally capitalised as 'the Black Plague' or 'the Black Death', similar to other historical event names like 'the Great Depression'.
The specific, devastating pandemic of bubonic plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, causing massive death and societal upheaval.
Black plague is usually academic, historical, journalistic in register.
Black plague: in British English it is pronounced /ˌblæk ˈpleɪɡ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌblæk ˈpleɪɡ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BLACK cloud of death that PLAGUED medieval Europe.
Conceptual Metaphor
CALAMITY IS A PLAGUE / DESTRUCTION IS A DISEASE
Practice
Quiz
What is the Black plague most closely associated with?