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Browse the Medical Dictionary:: A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z; #

epidemic

Main Entry:: ¹ep·i·dem·ic
Pronunciation:: \ˌep-ə-ˈdem-ik\
Variant(s):: also ep·i·dem·i·cal \-i-kəl\
Function:: adjective

1 : affecting or tending to affect an atypically large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time <typhoid was epidemic>—compare endemic, sporadic 2 : of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic <coronary disease…has hit epidemic proportions — Herbert Ratner>

— ep·i·dem·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\

Listen to the pronunciation of epidemically

adverb

Learn more about "epidemic" and related topics at Britannica.com

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