n. [ F. pestilence, L. pestilentia. See Pestilent. ] 1. Specifically, the disease known as the plague; hence, any contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating. [ 1913 Webster ] The pestilence that walketh in darkness. Ps. xci. 6. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. Fig.: That which is pestilent, noxious, or pernicious to the moral character of great numbers. [ 1913 Webster ] I'll pour this pestilence into his ear. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
Pestilence weed (Bot.), the butterbur coltsfoot (Petasites vulgaris), so called because formerly considered a remedy for the plague. Dr. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]
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