cowpox

American  

[kou-poks] / ˈkaʊˌpɒks /

noun

Veterinary Pathology.

1. an eruptive disease appearing on the teats and udders of cows, in which small pustules form that contain a virus used in the vaccination of humans against smallpox.

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cowpox British  

/ ˈkaʊˌpɒks /

noun

1. a contagious viral disease of cows characterized by vesicles on the skin, esp on the teats and udder. Inoculation of humans with this virus provides temporary immunity to smallpox. It can be transmitted to other species, esp cats

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Etymology

Origin of cowpox

First recorded in 1790–1800; cow ¹ + pox

Example Sentences

Cowpox was a comparatively harmless condition that farm workers would contract from their charges, but it was related to the far deadlier disease of smallpox, which killed thousands each year.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2020

Cowpox was a relatively harmless disease that farmworkers often caught from their livestock.

From Slate • Jan. 16, 2017

Cowpox, a mild disease, protected those who had it from smallpox, and the modern vaccine era began.

From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2016

Cowpox is not a disease peculiar to cattle; it is always due to syphilitic or smallpox infection from the diseased hands of human beings.

From Nature Cure by Lindlahr, Henry

Cowpox or horsepox may be accidentally transmitted by inoculation.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry