murrain

== English == === Etymology === The noun is derived from Late Middle English morein, morine, moreyn (“(widespread) death; widespread sickness, plague; fatal disease; carnage; carrion”), from Anglo-Norman morine, mourine, moreyn (“death; widespread sickness, plague; carrion; cattle disease”), Middle French morine, and Old French morine, mourine, murine (“widespread sickness, plague; animal which has died from a disease”), from Late Latin morina (“plague”), probably from Latin morior (“to die; to decay, wither”). The adjective and adverb are derived from the noun. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmʌɹ(ɪ)n/, /-ɹeɪn/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmʌɹən/ Hyphenation: mur‧rain === Noun === murrain (countable and uncountable, plural murrains) (archaic, uncountable) Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague. (countable, figurative, archaic) A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution; a plague. (countable, veterinary medicine, chiefly historical) Any of several highly infectious diseases of cattle or other livestock, such as anthrax, babesiosis, or rinderpest; or a particular epizootic thereof; also, an infectious disease affecting other animals, such as poultry. water murrain (countable, by extension, phytopathology) An infectious disease affecting plants. potato murrain (obsolete) (countable) A poor-quality green-salted animal hide. (uncountable) Death, especially from an infectious disease. (uncountable) Rotting flesh, especially of an animal which has died from a disease; carrion. ==== Alternative forms ==== murrein (obsolete, 16th c.) murrion (obsolete, 16th–17th c.) ==== Derived terms ==== murrained (adjective) murrainly (obsolete) steppe murrain water murrain (obsolete) ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === murrain (comparative more murrain, superlative most murrain) (figurative, obsolete) Disgusting or offensive, as if having an infectious disease; contemptible, despicable, loathsome, plaguey. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:despicable Used as an intensifier: to a great extent; extreme, intense. === Adverb === murrain (comparative more murrain, superlative most murrain) (figurative, obsolete) Used as an intensifier: extremely, very. Synonyms: (obsolete) murrainly; see also Thesaurus:extremely, Thesaurus:very === References === === Further reading === murrain on Wikipedia.Wikipedia