1. Plural of miasm; noxious vapors or fumes, especially those thought to cause disease (historical medical belief).
Usage: archaic; historical medical term
2. Plural of miasm; a thick, oppressive, or noxious atmosphere or influence.
Usage: figurative

Examples

• Medieval physicians believed that miasms rising from swamps caused plague.
• The miasms of industrial pollution hung over the city.
• Doctors once thought miasms were responsible for cholera outbreaks.
• A miasms of suspicion surrounded the scandal.
• The swamp released foul miasms into the surrounding air.