Did you mean "pestilence"? Pestilence, as defined by Merriam-Webster is:
a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating; especially : bubonic plague
something that is destructive or pernicious: I'll pour this pestilence into his ear — Shakespeare
According to Bible Hub, in religion, pestilence, or plague, in the Hebrew tongue, as in most others, expresses all sorts of distempers and calamitites. The Hebrew word which properly signifies "the plague" is extended to all epidemical and contagious diseases. The prophets generally connect together the sword, the pestilence, and the famine, as three evils, which usually accompany each other.
Tip! Check out 12 Fun Ways to Learn and Remember New English Vocabulary, shared by Magoosh.