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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.

See Examples For:

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

The UK has introduced a ban on pigs, sheep and cattle imports from Germany after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in the country.

From BBC Jan. 14, 2025

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 Seattle Times Oct. 5, 2023

Australia has introduced new biosecurity rules after an Indonesian foot-and-mouth disease outbreak spread to the tourist hub island of Bali.

From Washington Times Aug. 2, 2022

The characteristic lesion of foot-and-mouth disease is the appearance of vesicles containing a serous fluid upon the mucous membrane of the mouth and upon the udder, teats, and feet of the affected animals.

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

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