1. Plural of murrain; infectious diseases affecting livestock, especially cattle, characterized by high mortality.
Usage: Often used in historical or biblical contexts; Can refer to any widespread disease or plague affecting animals
2. A curse or calamity; a source of great harm or trouble.
Usage: archaic or literary usage

Examples

• The murrains that swept through the medieval villages devastated the farming communities.
• In the biblical account, murrains were sent as one of the plagues upon Egypt.
• The farmer feared that murrains would decimate his herd of cattle.
• Historical records describe terrible murrains that killed thousands of livestock.
• The drought and murrains combined to create a humanitarian crisis.
• Ancient texts often attributed murrains to divine punishment.