每日N词|20160124

After the scourge of flood usually comes the scourge of disease.

水灾之后，通常瘟疫会接踵而来。

▷scourge [skɝdʒ]

【释义】A scourge is a whip[鞭子] — or anything else that is punishing and dreadful. You could confront "a scourge of corruption" or "a scourge of hunger."

As a verb, scourge means to cause suffering. Not surprisingly, it comes from the old French word meaning "to whip." A dictatorship[专政;独裁] could scourge and oppress its citizens, and an infectious disease could scourge an entire community. When you see scourge, think "suffering."

vt. 鞭打;蹂躏;严斥;痛斥

n. 鞭;灾祸;鞭子;苦难的根源

Inflation was the greatest scourge of society.

通货膨胀是社会上的最大祸害。