noun

scourge

skurj

noun

A whip, especially one with several lashes, historically used to punish or torture.

"Prisoners were beaten with a scourge in medieval times."

A person or thing that causes widespread suffering.

"Malaria remains a scourge in many tropical regions."

"The tyrant was a scourge on his own people."

verb

To cause great and lasting suffering to; to afflict severely.

"Drought has scourged the region for three years running."

How to Use Scourge

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a whip used for punishment, or — more commonly today — something that causes ongoing widespread harm, like a disease or war.

Common pairings

the scourge of war a scourge on society scourged by disease

Word Forms

scourged past tense, scourges plural, scourge plural, scourged plural, scourges singular, scourge singular, scourged singular, scourgest singular, scourgedst singular, scourgeth singular

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Prisoners were beaten with a _____ in medieval times.

Etymology

From Old French forms tracing back to Latin excoriare, \"to strip the skin off,\" the same root that gives us excoriate.

Rhymes for scourge

urge purge surge splurge

See all rhymes for scourge →