anthrax

noun

an·thrax | \ ˈan-ˌthraks

Definition of anthrax

: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (such as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (such as wool), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs also : the bacterium causing anthrax

Examples of anthrax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Escape hoods like this from the company are designed to protect against nasty agents like mustard or sarin gas, ammonia, chlorine, or anthrax. — Rob Verger, Popular Science, "Those ‘gas masks’ at the Capitol were actually escape hoods," 11 Jan. 2021 After the post-9/11 anthrax attacks in 2001, fears of bioterrorism encroached on American attitudes toward naturally emerging diseases. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "Pandemic Year Two," 29 Dec. 2020 The first time the FDA issued an EUA was in 2005 for an anthrax vaccine, but just for military personnel. — Jeremy Greene, The Conversation, "What are emergency use authorizations, and do they guarantee that a vaccine or drug is safe?," 3 Dec. 2020 Permafrost thaw in Siberia led to a 2018 anthrax outbreak and the death of 200,000 reindeer and a child. — Kimberley R. Miner, Scientific American, "Deep Frozen Arctic Microbes Are Waking Up," 20 Nov. 2020 As a former secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, Thompson picked up his public health perspective while leading the agency's response to SARS — another coronavirus — monkey pox, and even the anthrax attacks following Sept. 11. — Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Let's do it together': Here's what former Gov. Tommy Thompson has to say about COVID-19 testing, rising cases and political gridlock," 19 Nov. 2020 Some of the deer management units that hold high deer numbers are 4, 5, 6, 7 South, 7 North and 23, although some parts of 4 and 5 on the western end of the region were hit by a 2019 anthrax outbreak. — Matt Wyatt, ExpressNews.com, "Why the Hill Country is prime for does," 12 Nov. 2020 Leading that briefing was Messonnier, the no-nonsense director of the CDC’s powerful immunization and respiratory diseases center, who’d come to prominence during the 2001 anthrax attacks. — Anchorage Daily News, "Inside the Fall of the CDC," 16 Oct. 2020 Support for routine vaccinations runs high in the military, but some have expressed concerns about new vaccines and mandatory inoculations, especially for anthrax. — Patricia Kime, USA TODAY, "Why the VA is recruiting 8,000 volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trials," 9 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anthrax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for anthrax

probably borrowed from French, originally a word applied to the dark skin lesion associated with the cutaneous form of the disease, extended in the 18th century to the disease itself (also called charbon); earlier, "dark skin lesion, carbuncle," going back to Middle French antrac, borrowed from Late Latin anthrac-, anthrax, borrowed from Greek anthrak-, ánthrax "charcoal (burning or unlit, usually in plural), coal, dark red precious stone, dark skin lesion," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: In the sense "carbuncle, purulent skin lesion (of various origins)," anthrax has been in occasional use in English since Middle English (then attested as antrax, antrace). Regarding the origin of the Greek word, cf. andráchlē "warming pan, brazier," (with -d- for -th-) and kándaros glossed ánthrax by Hesychius (k- alternating with ø), features (along with the suffix -ak-) suggesting substratal origin (see Robert Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010).

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about anthrax

Dictionary Entries near anthrax

Statistics for anthrax

Last Updated

13 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Anthrax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthrax. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for anthrax

anthrax

noun

English Language Learners Definition of anthrax

: a serious disease that affects animals (such as cattle and sheep) and sometimes people

See the full definition for anthrax in the English Language Learners Dictionary

anthrax

noun

an·thrax | \ ˈan-ˌthraks

Kids Definition of anthrax

: a serious bacterial disease of warm-blooded animals (as sheep) that can affect humans

anthrax

noun

an·thrax | \ ˈan-ˌthraks

plural anthraces\ -thrə-ˌsēz

Medical Definition of anthrax

: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (as hair), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs also : the bacterium causing anthrax