Meaning
sore, plague, scourge
- sore, ulcer
- plague, scourge
- nuisance, pest
In a sentence
Mi sono fatto una piaga sul tallone.
I got a sore on my heel.
La disoccupazione giovanile è una vera piaga per il Paese.
Youth unemployment is a real scourge for the country.
Quel vicino rumoroso è una piaga, vero?
That noisy neighbor is a nuisance, right?
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| piaga | feminine · singular |
| piaghe | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- For a physical skin lesion, piaga is more literary or medical; everyday Italian often prefers ferita, ulcera, or piaga da decubito in specific contexts.
- In figurative use, piaga often appears in formal or journalistic phrases like una piaga sociale; less common in casual speech than problema or flagello.
- For an annoying person, piaga is colloquial and insulting. Don’t confuse it with plague-related English words; context decides literal or figurative meaning.