Black Death
Preserved but no longer current.
A plague which ravaged Europe in 1348-51; it was a putrid typhus, in which the body rapidly turned black. It reached England in 1349, and is said to have carried off twenty-five millions (one fourth of the population) in Europe alone, while in Asia and Africa the mortality was even greater.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Black Death” mean?
A plague which ravaged Europe in 1348-51; it was a putrid typhus, in which the body rapidly turned black. It reached England in 1349, and is said to have carried off twenty-five millions (one fourth of the population) in Europe alone, while in Asia and Africa the mortality was even greater.
Is “Black Death” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.