Meanings
- The Black Death.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe epidemic form of bubonic plague experienced during the Middle Ages when it killed nearly half the people of western Europe
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Swedishsvarta döden
- Danishden sorte død
- EnglishBlack Plague
A modiciation of English Black Death, ultimately a partial calque of Danish den sorte død, sortedød and Swedish svarta döden, svartedöden (literally “black death”) since the 18th century, from Old Danish and Old Swedish, first attested in Swedish swarta dödhen (1540), svarthe döden (1555), then as a historical term; compare Norwegian svartedauden, Norwegian svartedauen.
More words from Danish, Swedish
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Black Plague. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Black%20Plague
“Black Plague.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Black%20Plague. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Black Plague,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Black%20Plague.
Source: Black Plague on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.