smallpox

small·pox

noun \ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks\

Definition of SMALLPOX

: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus of the genus Orthopoxvirus (species Variola virus), is characterized by skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and is believed to have been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination—called also variola; see variola major, variola minor