empest

transitive verb

em·​pest

ə̇m,

em+

-ed/-ing/-s

: to infect with or as if with a contagion

sleeping in an empested atmosphere

—Aldous Huxley

Word History

Etymology

en- entry 1 + pest (noun)

First Known Use

circa 1617, in the meaning defined above

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Rhymes for empest

• tempest