pesta

plague

noun PEH-stah Rare

Origin: From Latin 'pestis', plague, pestilence.

Also means

trail (of footprints)

Usage Note

Pesta is less common than peste for the disease, but appears in set expressions and historical texts. Its more everyday use is as the plural of pesta meaning 'footprint, track': seguire le peste di qualcuno means to follow in someone's footsteps. The Black Death is usually called la Peste Nera in Italian.

Examples

"Seguiva le peste nella neve fresca."

Natural Translation

She followed the tracks in the fresh snow.

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