From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
plague
n 1: 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 [syn:
plague, pestilence, pest, pestis]
2: any epidemic disease with a high death rate [syn: plague,
pestilence, pest]
3: a swarm of insects that attack plants; "a plague of
grasshoppers" [syn: infestation, plague]
4: any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent
by God)
5: an annoyance; "those children are a damn plague"
v 1: cause to suffer a blight; "Too much rain may blight the
garden with mold" [syn: blight, plague]
2: annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his
staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his female
co-workers" [syn: harass, hassle, harry, chivy,
chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, plague, molest,
provoke]