blight

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
blight/blʌɪt/

▶noun

• 1 a plant disease, especially one caused by fungi such as mildews, rusts, and smuts.

• 2 a thing that spoils or damages something.

  ■ ugly or neglected urban landscape.

▶verb

• 1 infect (plants) with blight.

• 2 spoil, harm, or destroy.

– origin C16 (denoting inflammation of the skin): of unknown origin.