WHITE PLAGUE

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An addiction to a drug (especially a narcotic drug)

Synonyms:

drug addiction; white plague

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("white plague" is a kind of...):

addiction; dependance; dependence; dependency; habituation (being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs))

Domain category:

narcotic (a drug that produces numbness or stupor; often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain; extensive use can lead to addiction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "white plague"):

alcohol addiction; alcoholism; drunkenness; inebriation (habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms)

cocaine addiction (an addiction to cocaine)

heroin addiction (an addiction to heroin)

caffein addiction (an addiction to caffein)

nicotine addiction (an addiction to nicotine)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Involving the lungs with progressive wasting of the body

Synonyms:

consumption; phthisis; pulmonary tuberculosis; wasting disease; white plague