epizootic
noun
epi·zo·ot·ic
ˌe-pə-zə-ˈwä-tik 
-zō-ˈä-
: an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time
also
: the disease itself
epizootic
adjective
Examples of epizootic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With Covid keeping us at home, many ecologists are unaware of potentially the most important non-human epizootic occurring since white-nose.
—
Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 19 May 2020
African swine fever decimated the country’s pig population in 2019 in what lovers of Greek etymology would have insisted was an epizootic—relating to animals—and not an epidemic—relating to people.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2020
Unfortunately an epizootic of African swine fever has recently wiped out at least a third of all the pigs in China.
—The Economist, 10 Oct. 2019
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Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 19 May 2020
African swine fever decimated the country’s pig population in 2019 in what lovers of Greek etymology would have insisted was an epizootic—relating to animals—and not an epidemic—relating to people.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2020
Unfortunately an epizootic of African swine fever has recently wiped out at least a third of all the pigs in China.
—The Economist, 10 Oct. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Epizootic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epizootic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
epizootic
noun
epi·zo·ot·ic
ˌep-ə-zə-ˈwät-ik
: an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time
also
: the disease itself
epizootic
adjective
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