epidemic: [17] An epidemic is literally something that has an effect ‘among the people’. The word comes from French épidémique, a derivative of the noun épidémie, which goes back via late Latin epidēmia to Greek epidēmíā ‘disease prevalent among the people’. This was a noun use of epidémios, a compound adjective formed from the prefix epí- ‘among’ and demos ‘people’ (source of English democracy). => democracy
epidemic (adj.)
c. 1600, "common to or affecting a whole people," originally and usually, though not etymologically, in reference to diseases, from French épidémique, from épidemié "an epidemic disease," from Medieval Latin epidemia, from Greek epidemia "a stay in a place; prevalence of an epidemic disease" (especially the plague), from epi "among, upon" (see epi-) + demos "people, district" (see demotic).
epidemic (n.)
1757, "an epidemic disease, a temporary prevalence of a disease throughout a community," from epidemic (adj.); earlier epideme (see epidemy). An Old English noun for this (persisting in Middle English) was man-cwealm.
实用例句
1. Drug experts say it could spell the end of the crack epidemic.
禁毒专家说它可能会结束强效可卡因吸食泛滥的局面。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Health officials have successfully confined the epidemic to the Tabatinga area.
卫生官员成功地将疫情控制在塔巴廷加地区。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The major impact of this epidemic worldwide is yet to come.
这种传染病在世界范围内的重大影响还未完全显现。
来自柯林斯例句
4. The AIDS epidemic further stigmatised gays.
艾滋病的流行让人们更加瞧不起男同性恋者。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Today, doctors are fearing a worldwide epidemic.
