What does epidemical mean?
"Epidemical" is an adjective describing something of the nature of an epidemic — a disease or condition that spreads rapidly and affects many people within a community at the same time. Formed from the same Greek root as "epidemic," it was once the ordinary adjectival choice in English, appearing frequently in medical treatises and literary works of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Daniel Defoe, for instance, used it in his famous account of the Great Plague of London to characterise the deadly distemper sweeping through the city. In extended use, the word could describe any phenomenon that seizes a population suddenly and collectively, such as a fashion, a fear, or a wave of enthusiasm. Today, however, "epidemical" has largely given way to its shorter relative "epidemic," which serves both noun and adjective. Encountering "epidemical" now usually signals a historical text or a deliberately elevated style, lending an air of antiquarian authority to descriptions of contagion, whether literal or figurative.
adjectiveOf the nature of an epidemic; widespread and affecting many people at the same time, especially in relation to disease. Now largely archaic or formal, it also describes anything occurring in sudden, widespread bursts.
- (Of a disease or condition) prevalent among a population at a particular time; characteristic of an epidemic.
- (Figurative, now rare) Occurring widely and suddenly among a group of people, as of fashions, fears, or behaviours.
"The physician recorded the epidemical fevers that swept through the port each summer."
"In his journal, Defoe described the epidemical distemper that carried off thousands of Londoners in 1665."
"A kind of epidemical enthusiasm for speculation seized the markets that spring."
Before "epidemic" took over, English writers reached for "epidemical" — the form Daniel Defoe used to describe the plague ravaging London.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of epidemical
"Epidemical" derives from the Greek "epidēmos," meaning "among the people" (from "epi," "upon," and "dēmos," "people"), which passed into Late Latin as "epidemia." The word entered English in the early seventeenth century via the learned adjective formation in "-ical," alongside the related noun and adjective "epidemic." Its closest relatives are "endemic" ("in the people") and the later coinage "epidemiology," the study of how diseases spread through populations.
How epidemical is actually used
The word is chiefly historical or literary today; modern writing prefers "epidemic" as the standard adjectival form. It carries a slightly archaic, formal register and appears most often in older medical texts and classic literature.
Easily confused with epidemical
"Epidemic" is now the standard adjective and noun for a widespread outbreak of disease, while "epidemical" is an older, more formal adjectival form that has largely fallen out of everyday use.