cowpox
noun
cow·pox
| \ ˈkau̇-ˌpäks
\
\
Definition of cowpox
: a mild eruptive disease of the cow that is caused by a poxvirus (species Cowpox virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus) and that when communicated to humans protects against smallpox
Examples of cowpox in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jesty vaccinated his wife and two sons with pus from a cowpox lesion, using his wife’s knitting needle. — William F. Bynum, WSJ, "‘Between Hope and Fear’ Review: Anxieties Immune to Reason," 16 Aug. 2018 The first real vaccine was one against smallpox, made by Edward Jenner in 1796 from a related virus, cowpox. — NBC News, "Now there's a drug to treat smallpox, just in case," 13 July 2018 This led the scientist Edward Jenner to try intentionally infecting a boy with cowpox as a prospective treatment. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "The Man Who Says Science Blew Its Best Shot at an AIDS Vaccine," 1 June 2018 In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated James Phipps, 8, against smallpox by using cowpox matter. — BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 14 May 2018 In 1796, an English country doctor named Edward Jenner used material from a related illness, cowpox, to inoculate James Phipps, the 9-year-old son of his gardener. — Thomas Levenson, BostonGlobe.com, "The world defeated smallpox. Why does polio still exist?," 9 Mar. 2018 This virus is like cowpox and smallpox but not identical to either. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Maybe you shouldn’t vaccinate your kids—maybe equinate them instead," 12 Oct. 2017 That’s because the vaccine used to prevent smallpox was likely horsepox, not cowpox, researchers say. — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "Why the word ‘vaccine’ is probably all wrong," 11 Oct. 2017 But those vaccination strains—then and to this day—aren’t cowpox. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Maybe you shouldn’t vaccinate your kids—maybe equinate them instead," 12 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cowpox.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cowpox
cowpox
noun
cow·pox
| \ ˈkau̇-ˌpäks
\
\
Medical Definition of cowpox
: a mild eruptive disease of the cow that is caused by a poxvirus of the genus Orthopoxvirus (species Cowpox virus) and that when communicated to humans protects against smallpox
— called also variola vaccinia