pandemic

B2 Topic:Health & Medicine

US /pænˈdɛmɪk/ UK /pænˈdɛmɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #31467

Meanings

1

noun
A disease that spreads across many countries and affects a very large number of people.

The pandemic forced schools and businesses to close around the world.
2

adj
Spreading over a wide area and affecting many people.

The pandemic outbreak of flu in 1918 killed millions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a disease that spreads... pandemia

2 adj · spreading over a wide area... pandemical

Word family

Forms pandemics

Derived forms antipandemicinterpandemicintrapandemicnonpandemicpancessionpandemicalpandemicallypandemicitypandemickyplandemicpost-pandemicpostpandemic

Related forms endemic epidemichyperepidemicinfodemicinterepidemicintraepidemicnonendemicnonepidemicpandemiapandemialpandemianpanepidemic

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πάνδημος (pándēmos, “of or belonging to all the people, public”) + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives from nouns with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). πάνδημος is derived from παν- (pan-, prefix meaning ‘all, every’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, shepherd”)) + δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people; free citizens, sovereign people”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide, share”)). Compare Late Latin pandēmus (“affecting all the people, general, public”).

*peh₂- Proto-Indo-European πάνδημος Ancient Greek *deh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Health & Medicine

External links

# pandemic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /pænˈdɛmɪk/
**IPA (UK):** /pænˈdɛmɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 31467

## Meanings
1. A disease that spreads across many countries and affects a very large number of people.
2. Spreading over a wide area and affecting many people.

## Examples
- The pandemic forced schools and businesses to close around the world.
- The pandemic outbreak of flu in 1918 killed millions.

## Derived Forms
- antipandemic
- interpandemic
- intrapandemic
- nonpandemic
- pancession
- pandemical
- pandemically
- pandemicity
- pandemicky
- plandemic
- post-pandemic
- postpandemic

## Related Forms
- endemic
- epidemic
- hyperepidemic
- infodemic
- interepidemic
- intraepidemic
- nonendemic
- nonepidemic
- pandemia
- pandemial
- pandemian
- panepidemic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₂-
- Root: πάνδημος
- Root: *deh₂-
- Affix: pan- - all

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek πάνδημος (pándēmos, “of or belonging to all the people, public”) + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives from nouns with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). πάνδημος is derived from παν- (pan-, prefix meaning ‘all, every’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, shepherd”)) + δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people; free citizens, sovereign people”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide, share”)). Compare Late Latin pandēmus (“affecting all the people, general, public”).

## AI Etymology
Pandemic comes from Ancient Greek πάνδημος (pándēmos, “of or belonging to all the people, public”) + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives from nouns with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). πάνδημος is derived from παν- (pan-, prefix meaning ‘all, every’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, shepherd”)) + δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people; free citizens, sovereign people”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide, share”)). Compare Late Latin pandēmus (“affecting all the people, general, public”). Modern senses include a disease that spreads across many countries and affects a very large number of people and spreading over a wide area and affecting many people. The wider word family includes derivatives such as antipandemic, interpandemic, intrapandemic, nonpandemic, pancession, and pandemical and related forms such as endemic, epidemic, hyperepidemic, and infodemic.

## Topics
- Health & Medicine

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