murrain

/ˈmʌrən/

Other forms: murrains

A livestock disease that passes from animal to animal is called a murrain. The distinctive thing about a murrain is that it spreads rapidly.

A murrain is an epidemic that's limited to sheep and cattle, though the term is sometimes used to refer generally to a plague or other outbreak of disease. This uncommon noun comes from the Old French word morine, or "pestilence," which is probably rooted in mourir, "to die," from the Latin mori.

Definitions of murrain

1. noun

   any disease of domestic animals that resembles a plague
   type of:

   animal disease

   a disease that typically does not affect human beings