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foot-and-mouth disease

American  
[foot-n-mouth] / ˈfʊt nˈmaʊθ /

noun

Veterinary Pathology.
  1. an acute, contagious, febrile disease of cattle, hogs, sheep, and other hoofed animals, caused by any of various rhinoviruses and characterized by vesicular eruptions in the mouth and about the hoofs, teats, and udder.


foot-and-mouth disease British  

noun

  1. Technical name: contagious stomatitis.  Also called: hoof-and-mouth disease.   aphtha.   aphthous fever.  an acute highly infectious viral disease of cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, characterized by the formation of vesicular eruptions in the mouth and on the feet, esp around the hoofs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

foot-and-mouth disease Scientific  
  1. A highly contagious disease of cattle and other hoofed animals caused by any of various viruses of the family Picornaviridae and the genus Aphthovirus , characterized by fever and the presence of blisters around the mouth and hooves.


Etymology

Origin of foot-and-mouth disease

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But its endless expanses have been swept by panic since an outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, which was declared a national disaster in February.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

African swine fever, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular disease are among ailments in Kenya that Customs cited as risks.

From Washington Times • Oct. 5, 2023

Last year, a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak disrupted the ritual slaughter of animals to mark Eid al-Adha in Indonesia.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease disrupted Eid al-Adha celebrations in Indonesia, The Associated Press reports.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2022

In examining a case of mycotic stomatitis it is important not to mistake it for foot-and-mouth disease, which has appeared in this country on six occasions only.

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