smallpox

noun

small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks 

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

called also variola

Examples of smallpox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What was the primary mode of smallpox transmission? —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

With little protection against illnesses like smallpox, tuberculosis or plague, people would have been immobilized by fear if not for the ability to repress reality. —Robert Pearl, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

In the 1700s, when smallpox was ravaging the colonies, some people were given an early form of immunization called variolation. —Jon Lapook, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2024

Some of the images depict tragedy, like the year that the Lakota people faced smallpox. —April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

smallpox

noun

small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks 

: a sometimes deadly disease that is caused by a virus, is characterized by fever and a skin rash, and is believed to have been wiped out worldwide as a result of vaccination

Medical Definition

smallpox

noun

small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks 

: 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