Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An acute, highly infectious, often fatal disease caused by a poxvirus and characterized by high fever and aches with subsequent widespread eruption of pimples that blister, produce pus, and form pockmarks. Smallpox was eradicated worldwide by 1979 as a result of numerous vaccination campaigns and exists only as a laboratory specimen.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An acute, highly contagious disease, fatal in between one third and one fourth of unvaccinated cases.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Med.) A contagious, constitutional, febrile disease characterized by a peculiar eruption; variola. The cutaneous eruption is at first a collection of papules which become vesicles (first flat, subsequently umbilicated) and then pustules, and finally thick crusts which slough after a certain time, often leaving a pit, or scar.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pathology An
acute , highlyinfectious oftenfatal disease caused by avirus of the familyPoxviridae . It was completelyeradicated in the 1970s. Those who survived were left withpockmarks .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
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London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
-
London society then censured Lady Mary as an unnatural mother for following the Turkish trend in smallpox inoculation: but her determination escorted a breakthrough into Western medicine.
Terry Kelhawk: Skirts on Camels: Early Women Travel Writers Terry Kelhawk 2010
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During the smallpox epidemic that swept through many parts of New Spain in 1763, she cautions that her grandchildren not be allowed to eat sweets while the threat of smallpox is present; another letter mentions that Maria Antonia's dizzy spells were probably caused by "the sweets she eats."
Pestilence and Headcolds: Encountering Illness in Colonial Mexico 2008
chained_bear commented on the word smallpox
"DECEMBER 9, 1772.
BERKLEY plantation is now clear of the SMALLPOX, and the Publick may be assured there is no Danger of any Infection remaining, as every necessary Care has been taken to cleanse the People and Houses.
BENJAMIN HARRISON."
—Virginia Gazette, Dec. 10, 1772 (Yes, this is the ancestor of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president)
See also tar-water and cordial.
January 27, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word smallpox
Usage/historical note can be found on inoculation.
December 3, 2016