noun
infectious disease; plague; epidemic
Archaic term for a contagious illness or widespread epidemic. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by words like 伝染病 or 疫病.
古文書には「ときの気」が流行したと記されている。
Old documents record that an epidemic spread.
Modern standard term for infectious disease.
Modern term for plague or epidemic, more common than 時の気.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling 時の気 literally means 'the spirit of the time', possibly reflecting an old belief that epidemics were caused by seasonal or temporal influences.