Other forms: epidemics
An epidemic is an illness racing through one region or country at once. A flu epidemic, epidemic spread, declare an epidemic.
The scale is what names it: an outbreak is local, an epidemic covers a region, and a pandemic crosses continents. The word is also used of anything spreading fast, as in an epidemic of theft. Note the Greek, meaning upon the people.
1nounepidemicAn illness spreading through a region at once.
“The flu epidemic closed schools across the whole region.”
epidemic is an outbreak.
Also accepted in games: outbreak
The Greek is epi, upon, and demos, the people, the same people behind democracy. An epidemic is the thing that has come upon the people at once.
hooks ontopeople
Greek epidemios means among the people, from epi, upon, plus demos, the people. Democracy shares the people.
Ancient Greek
ἐπιδήμιος
Latin
epidēmia
Medieval Latin
epidēmia
French
épidémique
English, today
epidemic
Built from
From French épidémique, from épidémie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, reanalysis of plural Latin epidēmia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδήμιος, from ἐπί (“upon”) + δῆμος (“people”). by surface analysis, epi- + demic.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA