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Glite Dictionary
smallpox virus

smallpox virus

3 3.9
A tiny germ that causes the serious disease smallpox in people
  • noun
  • /ˈsmɔːlˌpɑːks ˈvaɪrəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : virus de la viruela
  • And there's only two or three stocks of smallpox virus surviving.
  • stocks of the smallpox virus

Did you read the paper last week that some lab made the best smallpox virus ever?

Examples

  • Historically, blankets laced with a smallpox virus were given to Native Americans by the British in the 19th century.

    Blog text (13)

  • Long-term stability of smallpox virus DNA is not well characterized.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Did you read the paper last week that some lab made the best smallpox virus ever?

    MIT OpenCourseWare

  • Unlike the smallpox virus, for HIV there is extensive final plate and sequence diversity.

  • The smallpox vaccine is the best protection you can get if you are exposed to the smallpox virus.

    Blog text (5)

  • For example, permafrost is an environment that closely mirrors laboratory freezer storage of live virus, and the maintenance of viable smallpox virus in human remains found in such an environment has been debated (8).

    Academic text (2014)

  • The smallpox virus caused devastating outbreaks before it was eradicated.

  • Researchers are studying the smallpox virus to ensure it does not pose a future threat.

  • The smallpox virus is considered a potential bioweapon due to its lethality.

Synonyms

variola virus
vssmallpox virus
  • Specialized
1 5.9

A very small germ that causes smallpox in people

is the same agent but also noted as a possible bioweapon

Surface Forms

smallpox virus singular
smallpox viruses plural

Morphology

smallpox + virus

The noun-noun compound is directly compositional: 'smallpox' names a disease and 'virus' names an infectious agent, so together they denote the virus that causes smallpox. This follows a common and transparent English pattern (disease + virus) that is also paralleled in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Smallpox virus comes from the old disease name smallpox, where pox was a word for skin sores and small showed the sores were smaller than those of the old 'great pox'. So, smallpox virus means the virus that causes those small skin sores.