polio
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of polio
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; shortened form
Explanation
Polio is a disease that's been eliminated in most parts of the world, thanks to the polio vaccine. This is lucky, since there's no treatment for polio. Before scientists developed a way to prevent polio (which is actually short for poliomyelitis), it was a fairly common childhood illness that spread easily. While many people infected with polio had no symptoms at all, it did cause paralysis in some, and resulted in death for others. The U.S. experienced a polio epidemic in 1952 that left over 20,000 people paralyzed. Jonas Salk is credited with the first effective vaccine against polio, in the mid-1950s.
Vocabulary lists containing polio
"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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“Mandatory Vaccination is Not the Answer to Measles” by Bob Sears
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 20–August 26, 2022
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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.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, explain how viruses responsible for illnesses such as polio, encephalitis, myocarditis, and even the common cold take control of cellular machinery to copy themselves.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
The pandemic, which swept around the world in 2020, severely strained health systems and disrupted vaccination campaigns, resulting in a resurgence of infectious diseases such as measles and polio.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
We no longer see devastating illnesses like polio and haemophilus meningitis in children, thanks to the effectiveness of herd immunity.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
The organisation pointed to its global efforts to combat polio, HIV aids, maternal mortality, and its international treaty on tobacco control.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026
He favored it, believed it was polio, and felt secretly connected to the late President Roosevelt for that reason.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
