What does "murrain" mean?
Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.
Murrain
/ˈmʌɹ(ɪ)n/ adj, adv, noun
adj, adv, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.
- Grammar: murrain is listed as adj, adv, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: black death, bovine pestilence, cattle disease, cattle plague.
- Useful contrasts: disease-free cattle, fitness, good health.
- Usage evidence: But if thou refuse, and withhold them still: Behold my hand shall be upon thy fields; and a very grievous murrain upon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep.
How to use "murrain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "murrain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "murrain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "murrain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "murrain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "murrain" is acting as adj, adv, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "black death" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague. archaic, uncountable
"How a murryen came this chaunce, (ſay Tib) vnto our dame?"
- 2 any disease of domestic animals that resembles a plague wordnet
- 3 A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution; a plague. archaic, countable, figuratively
"Usura [a personification of usury] is a murrain, usura / blunteth the needle in the maid’s hand / and stoppeth the spinner’s cunning."
- 4 Any of several highly infectious diseases of cattle or other livestock, such as anthrax, babesiosis, or rinderpest; or a particular epizootic thereof; also, an infectious disease affecting other animals, such as poultry. countable, historical
"water murrain"
- 5 An infectious disease affecting plants. broadly, countable
"potato murrain"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A poor-quality green-salted animal hide. countable, obsolete
"Green salted are those that have been salted and are thoroughly cured. […] In green-salted hides and skins, those weighing […] 14 to 25 pounds, if plump, kip, but if thin and poor are called runners or murrains, and are sold at two thirds the price of good kip; […]"
- 7 Death, especially from an infectious disease. obsolete, uncountable
"Moreyn dethe mortalité […] mourine […]"
- 8 Rotting flesh, especially of an animal which has died from a disease; carrion. obsolete, uncountable
"The fold ſtands empty, in the drovvned fiend, / And crovves are fatted vvith the murrion flocke."
Adjective
- 1 Disgusting or offensive, as if having an infectious disease; contemptible, despicable, loathsome, plaguey. figuratively, obsolete
"No, ich know thars not within this land / A muryner Cat than Gyb is, betwixt the tems [Thames] and Tyne, […]"
- 2 Used as an intensifier: to a great extent; extreme, intense. figuratively, obsolete
"But my Lady vvas in ſuch murrain haſte to be here, that ſet out ſhe vvould, thof' I tould her, it vvas Childermas Day."
Adverb
- 1 Used as an intensifier: extremely, very. figuratively, obsolete
"It is a murrion crafty drab, and froward to be pleaſed."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"But if thou refuse, and withhold them still: Behold my hand shall be upon thy fields; and a very grievous murrain upon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "murrain"?
Common synonyms include: black death, bovine pestilence, cattle disease, cattle plague, contagion, disease.
How do you use "murrain" in a sentence?
But if thou refuse, and withhold them still: Behold my hand shall be upon thy fields; and a very grievous murrain upon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep.
How do you pronounce "murrain"?
Pronounced /ˈmʌɹ(ɪ)n/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English morein, morine, moreyn (“(widespread) death; widespread sickness, plague; fatal disease; carnage; carrion”), from Anglo-Norman morine, mourine, moreyn (“death; widespread sickness, plague; carrion; cattle disease”), Middle French morine, and Old French morine, mourine, murine (“widespread sickness, plague; animal which has died from a disease”), from Late Latin morina (“plague”), probably from Latin morior (“to die; to decay, wither”). The adjective and adverb are derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian morìa (“plague”) * Latin morticīnus (“that has died naturally, dead; (relational) carrion”) (Medieval Latin morticinium) * Occitan moria (“death; plague”) * Old French morie (“death”) mourie (“flesh of animals that have died of disease”) (Middle French murie) * Portuguese morrinha (“cattle plague”) * Spanish morriña (“cattle plague”)