What does "cowpox" mean?

A pustular, eruptive skin disease of cattle caused by a virus of species Orthopoxvirus cowpox, with lesions occurring principally on the udder and teats. Human infection may occur from touching cows, and gives immunity to smallpox.

What is a synonym for "cowpox"?

Common synonyms include: ague, anthrax, black death, cholera, diphtheria, dysentery.

Cowpox

noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A pustular, eruptive skin disease of cattle caused by a virus of species Orthopoxvirus cowpox, with lesions occurring principally on the udder and teats. Human infection may occur from touching cows, and gives immunity to smallpox. uncountable, usually
2
a viral disease of cattle causing a mild skin disease affecting the udder; formerly used to inoculate humans against smallpox wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

ague anthrax black death cholera diphtheria dysentery

Example

More examples

"Jenner noticed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox seemed to be immune to smallpox."

Etymology

From cow + pox.

Related phrases

cowpox virus

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.