Variolation
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The inoculation of a person with smallpox with the intention of inducing a mild form of the illness and subsequent immunity to the disease. countable, historical, uncountable
"Variolation is no longer used today. It was replaced by smallpox vaccination, a safer alternative, which in turn led to the development of vaccines against many other diseases."
- 2 the obsolete process of inoculating a susceptible person with material taken from a vesicle of a person who has smallpox wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Variolation is no longer used today. It was replaced by smallpox vaccination, a safer alternative, which in turn led to the development of vaccines against many other diseases."
Etymology
From variola + -ation.