Definitions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal

Etymologies

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Examples

  • In ancient and medieval times, people thought the plague was caused by rats, but the true cause wasn't discovered until 1894, when Alexandre Yersin of France and Kitasato Shibasaburo of Japan finally traced it to a bacterium now called Yersinia pestis, which is transmitted by fleas, which in turn are carried around by rats.

    Forbes.com: News Steven Salzberg 2011

  • Another plague that really made the “dark” Middle Ages dark was the Black Death, or bubonic plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pasteurella pestis.

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • Another plague that really made the “dark” Middle Ages dark was the Black Death, or bubonic plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pasteurella pestis.

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • Another plague that really made the “dark” Middle Ages dark was the Black Death, or bubonic plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pasteurella pestis.

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • Another plague that really made the “dark” Middle Ages dark was the Black Death, or bubonic plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pasteurella pestis.

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • * It was widely caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis and was spread by rats and fleas.

    Horrors Prices | SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles 2009

  • In addition to mosquitoes, today I might add Plasmodium falciparum, Vibrio cholerae, and Yersinia pestis to the list (the life forms responsible for malaria, cholera, and the Black Death respectively).

    Eric Michael Johnson: The Unseen And Unknowable Has No Place In Science 2010

  • In addition to mosquitoes, today I might add Plasmodium falciparum, Vibrio cholerae, and Yersinia pestis to the list (the life forms responsible for malaria, cholera, and the Black Death respectively).

    The Unseen And Unknowable Has No Place In Science Eric Michael Johnson 2010

  • In 1347, the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by rats and spread by fleas, caused the "Black Death" -- an outbreak of bubonic plague.

    Pollution~ a brief history 2009

  • The Black Death of the Middle Ages is traditionally considered to have been an outbreak of the bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the disease spread by fleas carried by animals, especially by the black rat.

    Dan Agin: Book Review: The Black Death--Politics, Theocracy, and Disease 2009

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