chickenpox

American  

[chik-uhn-poks] / ˈtʃɪk ənˌpɒks /

Or chicken pox

noun

1. a disease, commonly of children, caused by the varicella zoster virus and characterized by mild headache and fever, malaise, and eruption of blisters on the skin and mucous membranes.

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chickenpox British  

/ ˈtʃɪkɪnˌpɒks /

noun

1. a highly communicable viral disease most commonly affecting children, characterized by slight fever and the eruption of a rash

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chickenpox Scientific  

/ chĭk′ən-pŏks′ /

1. A highly contagious infectious disease, usually of children, caused by the varicella-zoster virus of the genus Varicellavirus. The infection is characterized by fever, and itching skin blisters that start on the trunk of the body and spread to the extremities.

2. Also called varicella

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Etymology

Origin of chickenpox

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Vaccines not recommended for all children in Denmark include those for chickenpox, rotavirus, meningococcal and hepatitis A.

From The Wall Street Journal

The vaccine, by contrast, is far less likely than those for flu or chickenpox to cause even minor reactions, such as fever.

From Los Angeles Times

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, resulting in a painful rash.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unlike most vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough and chickenpox, hepatitis B is typically asymptomatic, often spreading silently until midlife, when 1 in 4 infected people develop liver cancer or cirrhosis.

From Los Angeles Times

Young children in the UK will soon be offered a free chickenpox vaccine on the NHS.

From BBC