epizootic

noun

epi·​zo·​ot·​ic ˌe-pə-zə-ˈwä-tik How to pronounce epizootic (audio)
-zō-ˈä-
: an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time
also : the disease itself
epizootic adjective

Examples of epizootic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With Covid keeping us at home, many ecologists are unaware of potentially the most important non-human epizootic occurring since white-nose. Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 19 May 2020 African swine fever decimated the country’s pig population in 2019 in what lovers of Greek etymology would have insisted was an epizootic—relating to animals—and not an epidemic—relating to people. Jacky Wong, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2020 Unfortunately an epizootic of African swine fever has recently wiped out at least a third of all the pigs in China. The Economist, 10 Oct. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French épizootique "pertaining to a disease affecting many animals at once," coinage modeled on épidemique epidemic entry 1, from Greek epi- epi- + zôion "animal" + French -otique -otic entry 1 — more at zoo-

Note: The Oxford English Dictionary and Trésor de la Langue Française both treat épizootique as a derivative of épizootie, but the noun is attested later and is more likely a back-formation from the adjective, on the model of épidémique : épidémie.

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of epizootic was in 1748

Dictionary Entries Near epizootic

Cite this Entry

“Epizootic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epizootic. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

epizootic

noun
epi·​zo·​ot·​ic ˌep-ə-zə-ˈwät-ik How to pronounce epizootic (audio)
: an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time
also : the disease itself
epizootic adjective
epizootically adverb
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