Final answer:
The term 'blight' means to bring about distress or destruction, commonly used in the context of plant disease or metaphorically for any situation that causes ruin or deterioration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word blight means to cause to suffer devastation. It is often associated with plants when they are severely affected by a disease, pest, or harsh environmental condition, which leads to withering, damage, or destruction. However, blight can also be used metaphorically to describe situations or things that have a detrimental effect on something or cause its decline or ruin.
For example, when discussing an urban area, we might say 'Economic recession has brought blight to the once-thriving town, leaving behind closed shops and abandoned buildings.' Similarly, in agriculture, a farmer might say, 'The potato crop this year has suffered blight, causing a significant decrease in yield.'