Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PEST'I-LENCE, n. [L. pestilentia, from pestilens; pestis, plague.]

1. Plague, appropriately so called; but in a general sense, any contagious or infectious disease that is epidemic and mortal. – Shak.
2. Corruption or moral disease destructive to happiness. Profligate habits carry pestilence into the bosom of domestic society. – J. M. Mason.