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Glite Dictionary
Coxsackie virus

Coxsackie virus

7.4
A small germ that often causes hand, foot, and mouth disease in children
  • noun
  • /kɒksæki ˈvaɪrəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : virus Coxsackie
  • Hand, foot, and mouth disease is commonly caused by a type of Coxsackie virus.

Examples

  • The doctor suspected that the child had contracted a Coxsackie virus after reviewing the symptoms.

  • The Coxsackie virus can lead to hand, foot, and mouth disease.

  • Outbreaks of Coxsackie virus often occur in childcare settings during the summer months.

  • Many children contract the Coxsackie virus during summer.

  • During the summer, many children are affected by illnesses caused by the Coxsackie virus, including hand, foot, and mouth disease.

  • The Coxsackie virus is known to cause mild symptoms resembling polio, making early diagnosis essential for treatment.

  • Parents should be aware of the Coxsackie virus, as it can spread easily among young children in daycare settings.

Synonyms

coxsackievirus
vsCoxsackie virus
  • Specialized
9.9

A virus that often causes hand, foot, and mouth disease and other mild illnesses in children

is the term for a single enterovirus rather than the whole group

Surface Forms

Coxsackie virus singular
Coxsackie viruses plural

Morphology

Coxsackie + virus

The compound pairs a non-lexical proper name 'Coxsackie' (an eponym/place name) with the transparent noun 'virus', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will recognize it denotes a type of virus but cannot infer specific properties or diseases it causes. Because the proper name carries no compositional meaning about symptoms or taxonomy, the expression is partially but not fully predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Coxsackie virus gets its name from the small town of Coxsackie in New York, where doctors first found the virus in patients. So the name is 'named after' that place and today it refers to the virus that 'causes disease' such as hand, foot, and mouth disease.