Epidemics refers to outbreaks of disease that spread rapidly and affect many individuals within a population. The term is typically used in public health, epidemiology, and news reporting to describe widespread events beyond ordinary illnesses. It implies scale, momentum, and concern about containment and impact on communities.
"The city faced several epidemics in the late 19th century, challenging public health systems."
"Researchers study how social factors contribute to the spread of epidemics."
"During the outbreak, officials issued guidance to prevent epidemics from taking hold."
"Public awareness can help reduce the risk of epidemics through vaccination and hygiene measures."
Epidemics comes from Middle French epidemie and Latin epidemia, from Greek epidēmía (epi- ‘upon’ + dēmos ‘people’), meaning something that happens upon the people. The root is dēmos (people) and -emia (blood condition) is a separate construction; in this word, -emia is associated with disease states through Greek -emia meaning a condition of the blood or body. The term entered English via medical writing in the 17th century, reflecting a shift from general illness to the specific concept of widespread disease across populations. Over time, epidemics became a technical noun in public health discourse, distinguishing large-scale outbreaks from ordinary diseases or sporadic cases. Its usage expanded with advances in epidemiology, international travel, and media reporting, leading to common contemporary use in both scientific and everyday language to describe significant, rapidly spreading health events.
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Words that rhyme with "Epidemics"
-ics sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronunciation is eh-pih-DEM-iks, with primary stress on the third syllable. IPA US: ˌepɪˈdɛmɪks. Break it into e-pi-dem-ics; ensure the /d/ is a clear stop and the final /ɪks/ is short and crisp. If you’re listening for reference, think of the common stress on -dem- in many read sentences. Audio reference: you can compare to recorded medical readings or a pronunciation dictionary to confirm the diphthong boundaries.
Common errors include: (1) misplacing the primary stress, saying e-PEE-deh-micks; (2) softening the /d/ into a /t/ or unclear, producing ep-ih-DEM-icks; (3) mispronouncing the final /ɪks/ as /ɪk/ or /eks/. Corrections: place main stress on -DEM-, use a firm /d/ and crisp /ɪks/ ending, and avoid vowel elongation in the first syllable. Practice by saying epi-de-mics slowly, then speed up while keeping the stress on -DEM-.
In US English, /ˌepɪˈdɛmɪks/ with a more rhotic vowel in initial syllables and clear /ɪ/ sounds. UK English tends to have a slightly shorter first syllable and sharper /i/ in the middle; /ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪks/ can appear informally. Australian English often has a non-rhotic tendency with vowel qualities blended, but the main stress remains on -DEM-. Overall, the /ɪ/ vowels remain similar, while vowels in the earlier syllables may reduce in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic rhythm and the
A distinctive feature is the strong secondary stress on the penultimate or antepenultimate? No, for this word, the primary stress is on the third syllable - deM-; you’ll hear a clear mid-syllable pause before the final -ics in careful speech. The word also includes a cluster /d/ followed by a schwa-less /ɛm/ combination that often trips non-native speakers.
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