noun
anthrax
AN-thraks
noun
1
A serious infectious disease, caused by a bacterium, that mainly affects livestock like cattle and sheep but can also infect humans.
"Farmers vaccinate their herds to prevent outbreaks of anthrax."
"The letters contaminated with anthrax spores caused a nationwide health scare in 2001."
How to Use Anthrax
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA dangerous bacterial disease that mostly affects farm animals but can infect people too.
Word Forms
anthraxes plural
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Farmers vaccinate their herds to prevent outbreaks of _____.
Etymology
From Greek anthrax, "coal" or "boil" — a reference to the dark, coal-like skin sores the disease can cause.