pox
n. C / Un. a serious disease that causes spots or sores on the skin. It is often used in old stories or to describe historical illnesses like smallpox.
n. any of several viral diseases characterized by skin eruptions or pustules. Often used historically to refer to syphilis or smallpox, or figuratively to express a curse or intense dislike.
The doctor treated the patient for a mild case of the pox.
In the eighteenth century, the pox was a common and often fatal affliction that left survivors with deep scars.
The playwright famously used the phrase 'a pox on both your houses' to illustrate a character's absolute rejection of two feuding families and their destructive conflict.
From the plural of Middle English pocke. See also pock.
Usually takes the definite article ('the pox') when referring to a specific historical disease. In modern medical contexts, it is more commonly found as a suffix in words like 'chickenpox' or 'monkeypox'.