smallpox

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a formerly widespread, often fatal infectious disease caused by variola virus and marked by fever and a pustular rash

   A global vaccination campaign eradicated smallpox in the twentieth century.

From small + pox. The name distinguished its relatively small skin lesions from the 'great pox', an old name for syphilis; smallpox itself was historically also called variola.

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