Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various highly infectious diseases of cattle, as anthrax.
- noun Obsolete A pestilence or dire disease.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A disease affecting domestic animals, especially cattle; a cattle-plague or epizoötic disease of any kind; in a more limited sense, the same as
foot-and-mouth disease (which see, underfoot ). - Affected with murrain.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Far.) An infectious and fatal disease among cattle.
- noun may you be afflicted with a pestilent disease.
- adjective Having, or afflicted with, murrain.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun archaic
Plague , infectious disease,pestilence . - noun veterinary medicine Any of several highly
infectious diseases ofcattle such asanthrax .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any disease of domestic animals that resembles a plague
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Egyptian cattle suffered a "murrain" -- with no apparent cause other than a divine curse.
Kevin Smith 2008
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The disease was called murrain or distemper, and its malignity known, but not for a century was the cause ascertained and direct effort made for cure and eradication.
A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina Historical Commission for the Use of Members of the General Assembly Session 1913 Robert Digges Wimberly 1913
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What the murrain is the matter now — Arc yoir not aQiam*d, wife, to dcficoy things wilfully thus — when thou knoweft how chargeable necefiaries arc Begone Jeremy, and mind the fliop.
A Collection of the Most Esteemed Farces and Entertainments, Performed on ... 1792
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The 'murrain' was so deadly to oxen and sheep that, according to Walsingham, dogs and ravens eating them dropped down dead.
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When that nomenclature crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1869, Harper’s Weekly put it that Liverpool was informing the State Department that “a contagion called murrain, or hoof-and-mouth disease, has broken out.”
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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When that nomenclature crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1869, Harper’s Weekly put it that Liverpool was informing the State Department that “a contagion called murrain, or hoof-and-mouth disease, has broken out.”
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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That is why I say that the murrain was the best friend that the borel folk ever had. "
The White Company Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1902
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That is why I say that the murrain was the best friend that the borel folk ever had.
The White Company Arthur Conan Doyle 1894
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That is why I say that the murrain was the best friend that the borel folk ever had. "
The White Company 1890
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The cattle murrain in Upper Egypt continued to rage, long past the season when it normally abated; virtually all the cattle in Luxor had been infected now and were dead or dying.
The Mistress of Nothing Kate Pullinger 2009
brtom commented on the word murrain
"... a murrain seize the dolt ..."
Joyce, Ulysses, 14
January 20, 2007
bilby commented on the word murrain
"(Enter certain Romans, with spoils.)
FIRST ROMAN: This will I carry to Rome.
SECOND ROMAN: And I this.
THIRD ROMAN: A murrain on't! I took this for silver."
- William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'.
August 28, 2009
knitandpurl commented on the word murrain
"Mrs. Gaddson was there, searching eagerly through her Bible for murrains and agues and emerods."
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, p 397
May 29, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word murrain
"A disease affecting domestic animals, especially cattle; a cattle-plague or epizoötic disease of any kind; in a more limited sense, the same as foot-and-mouth disease (which see, under foot)."
--Century Dictionary
February 28, 2014
carolee45 commented on the word murrain
I looked up murrain because I am reading The Black Arrow by RLS, Someone yells out " A murrain!" So I assume it is an exclamation meaning " a pestilence" or "death to us " or something like that.
April 10, 2016