[syn: pest, blighter, cuss, pesterer, gadfly]
4. any unwanted and destructive insect or other animal that attacks food or crops or livestock etc.;
- Example: "he sprayed the garden to get rid of pests"
- Example: "many pests have developed resistance to the common pesticides"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pest \Pest\, n. [L. pestis: cf. F. peste.]
1. A fatal epidemic disease; a pestilence; specif., the
plague.
[1913 Webster]
England's sufferings by that scourge, the pest.
--Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
2. Anything which resembles a pest; one who, or that which,
is troublesome, noxious, mischievous, or destructive; a
nuisance. "A pest and public enemy." --South.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pest
n 1: a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by
Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by
the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal [syn:
plague, pestilence, pest, pestis]
2: any epidemic disease with a high death rate [syn: plague,
pestilence, pest]
3: a persistently annoying person [syn: pest, blighter,
cuss, pesterer, gadfly]
4: any unwanted and destructive insect or other animal that
attacks food or crops or livestock etc.; "he sprayed the
garden to get rid of pests"; "many pests have developed
resistance to the common pesticides"