Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A disease characterized by skin eruptions (especially purulent ones) that may leave pockmarks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A disease characterized by skin eruptions (especially purulent ones) that may leave pockmarks.
Syphilis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A curse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To infect with the pox, or syphilis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a contagious disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pock marks
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: contagious disease, contagion
Narrower terms: smallpox, variola, variola major, chickenpox, varicella, cowpox, vaccinia
noun
a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: syphilis, syph, lues venerea, lues
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: venereal disease, VD, venereal infection, social disease, Cupid's itch, Cupid's disease, Venus's curse, dose, sexually transmitted disease, STD
Narrower terms: primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis, neurosyphilis
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.
Across languages
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
