Skip to content

peste

plague

noun PES-teh Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

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

Also means

pest

Usage Note

Peste refers to the bubonic plague historically (la Peste Nera — the Black Death) and to any pestilence. Colloquially it means a nuisance or pest, especially a mischievous child. Do not confuse with pesce (fish) — note the different vowel in the first syllable: PES-teh vs PEH-sheh.

Examples

"La peste devastò l'Europa nel Trecento."

Natural Translation

The plague devastated Europe in the fourteenth century.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic