Dictionary
per•ni•cious
Pronunciation: (pur-nish'us), [key]—
adj.
1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful:
pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2. deadly; fatal:
a pernicious disease.
3. Obs.evil; wicked.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.