Plager

Plager is a term used in Danish and Norwegian that functions as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, plager is the plural form of plage and denotes troubles, nuisances, or pests—things that cause discomfort or difficulty. It can refer to general hardships, troublesome conditions, or garden pests in everyday speech. As a verb, plager is the present tense of to plage, meaning to torment, harass, or afflict someone or something. For example, a disease or persistent worries can plager a population or an individual.

In usage, the noun sense of plager often appears in expressions about multiple problems or annoyances, such as economic plager or garden plager. The definite and plural forms vary by dialect and may include plagen (the torment) or plagerne (the torments) in Danish, with similar forms in Norwegian depending on regional grammar. The verb sense is common in both languages and conveys ongoing or repeated distress caused by someone or something.

Etymology traces plager to the Germanic linguistic area, with cognates in related Scandinavian languages. In Danish and Norwegian, the form plage or plage-cognates developed to signify torment or nuisance, while related languages such as Swedish use plåga/plågor for the corresponding meanings, illustrating a shared Germanic root with different inflectional paths. The English word plague is etymologically related but has evolved into a distinct term for large-scale disease outbreaks.

Today, plager is primarily encountered in Danish and Norwegian, where it covers both plural nuisances and the act of causing distress. Outside these languages, the word is less common, and speakers typically translate the concept rather than borrow the term directly.