pox
/pɑks/
noun
- Any of several viral diseases that cause skin rashes and pustules, especially chickenpox or smallpox.
- The child was kept home from school because she had the pox.
- Before vaccines, smallpox was a deadly disease that left survivors with scars.
- My grandmother still remembers when her whole family came down with the pox.
- A plant disease that causes spots or blisters on leaves or fruit.
- Pox on the leaves turned them brown and caused them to fall off early.
- The apple orchard was hit by pox this season, ruining much of the crop.
- Farmers sprayed the trees to prevent pox from spreading to the healthy fruit.
- Used in the phrase 'a pox on' to express a curse or wish for bad luck (archaic but still recognized).
- In the old play, the king cried, 'A pox on both your houses!'
- The character in the novel muttered a pox on his rival before walking away.
- She jokingly said, 'A pox on this broken printer!' as she kicked it.