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Pandemic

2 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means an outbreak of disease across a whole country or the world

Where does the word "pandemic" come from? It comes from Greek pandēmos, adopted directly into English (1660s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
pandēmos
Greek · ancient
"of all the people"
'of all the people', from 'pan', all, and 'dēmos', people
2
Stage 2 of 2
pandemic
English · 1660s
"worldwide outbreak"
an adjective at first, then a noun from the 1850s; Merriam-Webster named it the word of the year in 2020
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Pandemic’s story begins in Greek: pandēmos meant “of all the people.” 'of all the people', from 'pan', all, and 'dēmos', people. It reached English by 1660s as pandemic. An adjective at first, then a noun from the 1850s; Merriam-Webster named it the word of the year in 2020. Today, pandemic means an outbreak of disease across a whole country or the world.