pest
Pronunciation: /pɛst/
noun
- a destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, livestock, etc.: the tomato plant attracts a pest called whitefly an effective method for controlling insect pests
- informal an annoying person or thing; a nuisance: he was a real pest
- (the pest) archaic bubonic plague.
Origin:
late 15th century (denoting the bubonic plague): from French peste or Latin pestis 'plague'