Chickenpox

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/

Definitions

1. A highly contagious viral disease presenting with an itchy rash and associated symptoms like fever and fatigue caused by the varicella-zoster virus
2. This infection is marked by a vesicular skin eruption and systemic symptoms resembling those of the flu, originating from the varicella-zoster virus
3. A common infectious illness characterized by an itchy skin rash filled with fluid and symptoms such as fever and malaise, resulting from the varicella-zoster virus

Etymology: "Pox" was once a plural. "Pock," from Old English "pocc," meant a pustule or pimple, so "pocks" was the plural form. Over time speakers treated "pox" as a singular name for a disease, as they did with "measles," which is why "smallpox" and "chickenpox" are now singular nouns. The origin of "chicken" in the name is uncertain. A popular explanation holds that it marks the disease as mild compared with the far deadlier smallpox, but this is a plausible guess rather than a documented origin. Etymologists have not settled on an explanation.

Synonyms: varicella