white plague
noun
- noun (medicine) Tuberculosis, especially of the lungs.
- noun (chemistry, electronics) The white gold-aluminium intermetallic compound Au₅Al₂, which can be formed when gold and aluminium are heated in direct contact (for instance, at an electrical junction between gold and aluminium components).
- noun (electronics) The problems caused by the formation of this compound, including an increase in electrical resistance and formation of voids at the gold-aluminium junction, potentially culminating in total failure of the junction.
Synonyms
pulmonary tuberculosis consumption phthisis wasting disease drug addiction
Etymology
* (tuberculosis): From the white pallor of victims of the disease
* (eletronics): From the colour of the deposits which cause electrical problems to plague devices
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “white plague”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details