noun
Uncommon
smallpox
SMAWL-poks
Smallpox (noun) means a severe, often fatal infectious disease caused by the variola virus, eradicated worldwide in the 1970s. Example: “Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before vaccination wiped it out.”
noun
1
A severe, often fatal infectious disease caused by the variola virus, eradicated worldwide in the 1970s.
"The Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy."
"Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before vaccination wiped it out."
"We know that the most deadly of the early epidemics in America were those of the eruptive fevers—smallpox, measles, typhus, and so on. The first to arrive and the deadliest, said contemporaries, was smallpox."
— Alfred W. Crosby, The Columbian Exchange (1973)
"Can't make it in today, Mr. Smithers; I have smallpox. Well it wasn't wiped out in my house!"
— David X. Cohen, Das Bus (1998)
How to use smallpox
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA now-eradicated and once deadly viral disease that left survivors with permanent scarring.
Common pairings
smallpox vaccine
smallpox outbreak
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Word forms
- Plural
- smallpoxes
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_____ was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before vaccination wiped it out.
Etymology
Named "small" pox to distinguish it from the "great pox," an old name for syphilis.
Synonyms
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variola
variola major
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “smallpox” mean?
The word “smallpox” means a severe, often fatal infectious disease caused by the variola virus, eradicated worldwide in the 1970s. In plain terms, a now-eradicated and once deadly viral disease that left survivors with permanent scarring.
How do you pronounce “smallpox”?
“Smallpox” is pronounced SMAWL-poks (/ˈsmɔlpɑks/ in IPA).
How do you use “smallpox” in a sentence?
Here is “smallpox” used in a sentence: “Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before vaccination wiped it out.”
What part of speech is “smallpox”?
“Smallpox” is a noun.
Is “smallpox” a common word?
“Smallpox” is an uncommon word in modern English.
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