epidemia

epidemic

noun eh-pee-DEH-myah Rare

Origin: Greek 'epidēmia' (prevalent among the people)

Usage Note

Epidemia is feminine. It differs from pandemia (pandemic) in scope — an epidemic is geographically confined while a pandemic crosses borders. The adjective epidémico/a is common in medical reporting. Learners sometimes confuse it with endemia (endémico for an always-present condition); an epidemia is a sudden outbreak above normal levels.

Examples

"La epidemia de gripe afectó a miles de personas."

Natural Translation

The flu epidemic affected thousands of people.

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