Skip to content

epidemia

epidemic

noun eh-pee-DEH-myah Rare

Origin: Greek epidemia, from epi (upon) + demos (people)

Usage Note

Epidemia refers to a widespread disease outbreak within a region, while pandemia implies global spread. Both are feminine. The plural epidemie follows the regular -ia/-ie pattern. The adjective is epidemico. In Italian media the word gained wide use during the COVID-19 crisis.

Examples

"L'epidemia si diffuse rapidamente."

Natural Translation

The epidemic spread rapidly.

Explore Italian by topic