1. A reference to causing great harm, destruction, or death: Tabitha is going to get revenge on the man who insulted her with a pernicious act that will hurt him very much without him knowing who did it.
2. Descriptive of being very wicked, dangerous, or harmful in a way that is neither easily seen nor noticed: There are some people who do pernicious things to others either for the fun of it or simply to get a thrill out of seeing them suffer.
3. Etymology: from Latin perniciosus, "destructive", which came from pernicies, "destruction, death, ruin"; from per-, "completely" + necis, "violent death, murder". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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A type of falciparum malaria with gastrointestinal manifestations predominating: Algid malaria is characterized by cold, clammy skin, and hypotension.

Falciparum malaria is characterized by paroxysms of fever occurring at irregular intervals and often by the localization of the organism in a specific organ, causing capillary blockage in the brain, lungs, intestinal mucosa, spleen, and kidneys.

A severe disorder of blood, found mostly in older adults, that results from the body's inability to absorb vitamin B12 which is essential for normal red blood cell production in the bone marrow: Symptoms of pernicious anemia include weakness, breathing difficulties, and weight loss and those who have the illness do not produce the substance called "intrinsic factor" in the stomach, which allows the body to absorb the vitamin which is also essential for normal nerve cell development.

The forcible ejection of the contents of a woman's stomach through the mouth: Pernicious vomiting during pregnancy can be so severe as to threaten a woman's life.