scourge
UK[skɜːdʒ]US[skɜːrdʒ]
n
A person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering.
n
A whip used as an instrument of punishment.
v
To cause great suffering to someone or something.
Etymology
The word 'scourge' entered English in the 13th century from the Old French 'escorgiee', meaning a whip or lash. This Old French term itself derived from the Vulgar Latin 'excorrigiata', a noun formed from the Latin verb 'excorrigiare', meaning 'to whip severely'. The core of this Latin verb is 'corrigia', meaning a whip, thong, or shoelace, whose ultimate origin is uncertain but may be Celtic. The semantic journey is direct: from a physical instrument of punishment (the whip), the meaning expanded metaphorically to any agent or force that inflicts severe suffering or punishment upon people, much like a whip strikes the body.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword from Old French. Its spelling and form have been tightly integrated into English, making segmentation into productive English morphemes inappropriate.
Examples
The drought was a scourge upon the farming community for years.
In historical depictions, the slave driver is often shown holding a scourge.
Infectious diseases continued to scourge the population despite medical advances.