Pox Meaning
/pɑks/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmarks.
nounA disease characterized by skin eruptions (especially purulent ones) that may leave pockmarks.
Sentence Examples
Chicken pox is an itchy nuisance for kids.
The child has a case of chicken pox.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The child developed a rash and fever, and the doctor diagnosed the ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child was kept home from school after developing chicken ____ and was told to rest.
Word Origin & History
From the plural of Middle English pocke. See also pock. The curse sense involves metonymy: wishing a literal pox upon someone is the original form of pox-relevant curse, and the word pox itself also came to mean curse.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A pox on him, he's a cat still."
— c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
"Jack had a moſt ſcandalous tongue, and perſuaded Peg that all mankind, beſides himſelf, were pox'd by that ſcarlet-faced whore, †Signiora Bubonia. “As for his brother Lord Peter, the tokens were evident on him, blotches, ſcabs, and the corona. […]”"
— [1750?], Dr. [John] Arbuthnot, “The History of John Bull: Part II, Chapter III”, in The History of John Bull [by Dr. Arbuthnot]. And Poems on ſeveral Occasions by Dr. Jonathan Swift, with Several Miſcellaneous Pieces, by Dr. Swift and Mr. Pope, London: D. Midwinter, A. Tonson, page 60:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The child developed a rash and fever, and the doctor diagnosed the ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child was kept home from school after developing chicken ____ and was told to rest.