Pox

//pɑks// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmarks. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    a contagious disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pock marks wordnet
  3. 3
    Syphilis. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta) wordnet
  5. 5
    A curse. countable, figuratively, uncountable

    "A pox on him, he's a cat still."

Verb
  1. 1
    To infect with the pox, or syphilis. dated, transitive

    "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. […]”"

Example

More examples

"Chicken pox is an itchy nuisance for kids."

Etymology

From the plural of Middle English pocke. See also pock.

Related phrases

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