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 doubtless closely related to smallpox, and an attack of the former conveys a certain amount of protection against the latter.

From The Story of Germ Life by Conn, H. W. (Herbert William)

Cowpox, or vaccinia, though infectious for cows, is not transmissible among human beings, in other words, as a disease of man it is not infectious.

From Popular Science Monthly Oct, Nov, Dec, 1915 — Volume 86 by Anonymous