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smallpox

smallpox

77 3.9
A very contagious disease that causes fever and many skin sores that leave scars
  • noun
  • /ˈsmɔːlˌpɑːks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : viruela
  • The outbreak of smallpox in the 18th century caused widespread fear and devastation across Europe.
  • smallpox vaccination
  • smallpox inoculation
  • smallpox and measles

We have wiped smallpox off the map of this planet.

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Examples

  • The first was that smallpox was clearly contagious.

  • The last naturally occurring case of smallpox was recorded by the World Health Organization in 1977.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Died of smallpox when he was two.

  • And the smallpox was vicious, very vicious.

  • You yourself survived a bout with smallpox; its marks still cover your face.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The threat of the disease led to a steady flow of people wanting smallpox inoculations.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Jenner infected himself with smallpox to test his vaccine.

  • When she returned, Montagu introduced the inoculation of smallpox into England after observing it in Turkey.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Health officials implemented strict measures to prevent the spread of smallpox after identifying several cases in the city.

  • Vaccination against smallpox has significantly reduced the incidence of this once-common disease worldwide.

Synonyms

the pox
vssmallpox
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A serious illness that spreads between people and causes skin sores, often meaning smallpox in old texts

names a specific viral disease causing fever, pustules, scabs, and scars
variola
vssmallpox
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A serious contagious viral disease that causes fever, a rash with pus-filled bumps, and can be fatal

is the common name used in everyday language rather than the scientific term
variola major
vssmallpox
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A severe, common form of smallpox that often caused fever, many skin sores, and many deaths

covers the disease generally, not only the most severe form

Compounds

smallpox virus
  • Specialized
3 3.9

A tiny germ that causes the serious disease smallpox in people

9.1

A mild form of a serious disease that causes fever and skin blisters, seen historically in the West Indies

How Severe

variola major virus
  • Specialized
7.7
smallpox
  • Specialized
77 3.9
West Indian smallpox
  • Archaic
9.1
variola minor
  • Specialized
7.0

Surface Forms

smallpox singular
smallpoxes plural

Morphology

smallpox = small + pox (semi-transparent) = small + pox

The components 'small' + 'pox' are formally clear, but the compound names a specific, lexicalized disease and the historical contrast with 'great pox' is not obvious to learners.

Etymology

Smallpox comes from the two parts small and pox, where pox was an old word for a 'sore' or 'blister', as in the word pockmark for a scar. It was called 'small' to show the spots were smaller than those of the 'great pox', an old name for syphilis, so smallpox means the disease with small, scarring spots.