Definition of Chickenpox

1. Noun. An acute contagious disease caused by herpes varicella zoster virus; causes a rash of vesicles on the face and body.

Exact synonyms: Varicella
Generic synonyms: Pox

Definition of Chickenpox

1. Noun. (pathology) A common childhood disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), also known as human herpes virus 3 (HHV-3). ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Medical Definition of Chickenpox

1. A common highly infectious and contagious childhood viral infection that results in a generalised blistery red rash. The name was meant to distinguish this weak form of the pox from smallpox (chicken being used, as in chickenhearted, to mean weak or timid). Starts as an eruption of red papules (bumps) which become vesicles (blisters) than pustules. Other symptoms include malaise, weakness, sore throat, cough and fever. Incubation period is 14 to 17 days. There can be complications of chickenpox including pneumonia and encephalitis, particularly in adults but also sometimes in children, and reactivation of the same herpes virus is reponsible for shingles (zoster). Synonym: varicella (18 Dec 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Chickenpox

chickenburgers
chickened
chickenfeed
chickenfight
chickenhawks
chickenhearted
chickenheartedness
chickenhouse
chickenhouses
chickening
chickenless
chickenlike
chickenlips
chickenpox (current term)
chickenpox immune globulin
chickenpox immunization
chickenpox immunoglobulin
chickenpox vaccine
chickenpox virus
chickenpoxes
chickenries
chickenry
chickens
chickeny
chickenyard
chickenyards
chickeree

Literary usage of Chickenpox

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The ABCs of Safe & Healthy Child Care: A Handbook for Child Care Providers by Cynthia M. Hale, Jacqueline A. Polder (2000)
"chickenpox in the Child Care Setting chickenpox is a very contagious disease ... Most children in the United States experience chickenpox before they are ..."

2. Preventive medicine and hygiene by Milton Joseph Rosenau (1917)
"chickenpox chickenpox (varicella) is usually regarded as one of the minor communicable diseases in that the mortality is low, complications and sequelae not ..."

3. Epidemiology and public health: a text and reference book for physicians by Victor Clarence Vaughan (1922)
"In Morton's writings there is for the first time the vulgar name of chickenpox, which has no reference to the barnyard fowl but was chosen in comparing the ..."

4. Vincent d'Indy, sa vie et son �uvre by Milton Joseph Rosenau, Louis Borgex (1913)
"chickenpox chickenpox is one of the minor communicable diseases, ... chickenpox is very readily communicable and spreads through families or institutions, ..."

5. Osteopathy, Research and Practice by Andrew Taylor Still (1910)
"chickenpox. A disease characterized by vesicles scattered over the body, ... chickenpox does its work more on the nutrient system and the sweat glands of ..."

6. Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease: A Text-book for by Augustus Caillé (1906)
"VARICELLA (chickenpox) A papular eruption ushered in with slight fever and malaise ... chickenpox is not rare in adults. The symptoms are those of a mild ..."

7. Acute Contagious Diseases by William Miller Welch, Jay Frank Schamberg (1905)
"chickenpox may appear during convalescence from smallpox ... The following outbreak of chickenpox among thirty-three children convalescent from smallpox is ..."

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