Plagen

Plagen is a term with several uses in Germanic languages and in onomastic contexts. In German, Plagen is the plural form of the noun Plage, meaning a plague, pest, or calamity. It is used to refer to outbreaks or serious nuisances, and appears in historical or literary language to describe multiple afflictions or troublesome conditions. The phrase die Plagen often carries a metaphorical sense, describing widespread problems or misfortunes.

In Dutch, plagen is primarily a verb meaning to tease or torment; this is a different lexical item from the German noun and shares no direct semantic relation despite identical spelling in the two languages.

As a proper noun, Plagen may occur as a place name or surname in some German-speaking regions, though there is no single internationally prominent location universally identified by that name. In practice, references to Plagen as a place or family name are local or historical and not part of a widely recognized geographic or genealogical corpus.

In sum, Plagen most commonly appears in German as a plural noun meaning plagues or pests, with occasional use in onomastic contexts. Outside German, the term has limited usage aside from its status as a Dutch verb, which is unrelated to the German sense.