blight
UK[blaɪt]US[blaɪt]
n
A plant disease, typically one caused by fungi such as mildews, rusts, and smuts.
n
A thing that spoils or damages something.
v
Have a severely detrimental effect on.
Etymology
The origin of 'blight' is obscure, with no clear Proto-Indo-European ancestry. It first appeared in Middle English, possibly related to Old English 'blæce' or 'blæcðu', terms associated with skin discoloration or leprosy, suggesting a link to the concept of a damaging condition. By the 17th century, its meaning specialized to describe a specific, destructive disease affecting plants. The semantic expansion to any agent of ruin or decay, and subsequently to a verb meaning to cause such ruin, followed logically from this core idea of a sudden, withering affliction.
Analysis
The word 'blight' is a simplex word of uncertain origin, likely from Old English. It functions as a single, unanalyzable unit in modern English.
Examples
The potato crop was destroyed by a fungal blight.
Urban decay is a blight on the cityscape.
His career was blighted by persistent injuries.