疫病

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 疫病 (えきびょう) is a historical or literary noun for an infectious disease spreading widely through a population.
• Basic usage: 疫病が村に広がる makes an epidemic disease the subject spreading into a village, while 疫病に苦しむ町 modifies a town suffering from it.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Spreading disease and affected community
  • 疫病が広がる concerns transmission, whereas 疫病に苦しむ concerns community harm. The noun does not automatically identify one specific disease.