Disease

A really interesting word, I think. "Dis-Ease". Ease, as in easy, with an added prefix "dis" to signify a lack thereof. If you look at it this way, it has the same meaning as hardship, yet the connotation is a completely different one. Hardship is neutral, descriptive, sometimes even pitiful. Disease is used in a neutral manner sometimes, especially by medical professionals. Outside of that field, it is often not meant like that. Or, at least that's my impression.

 

Calling another diseased, there's usually an element of disgust in there, accusation even, fear to put it in one word. Hardship happens to people. Diseases, are, in a way, caused by people. "Ew, that looks nasty! Is that contageous? Stay the heck away from me, OK?!" Or of course in the way Agent Smith used the word to describe humanity. There's a much harder edge to the word.

 

It's a bit like the difference between calling someone ill, or sick.

Done