# pox

/ˈpɑks/ (US) · /pˈɒks/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pox
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a skin disease

noun · CEFR C1 · Archaic

a disease that causes small, painful spots or marks on the skin.

For teachers: any of several viral diseases characterized by purulent skin eruptions that often leave permanent pockmarks.

- In the past, many children suffered from the pox before vaccines were common.
- Historical records indicate that the pox decimated the local population long before modern medical interventions were available.

Usage: Often used as a suffix in modern English, such as 'chickenpox' or 'smallpox'.

### 2. a curse

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

a way to wish bad luck or illness on someone.

For teachers: a curse or imprecation, most famously used in the idiom 'a pox on both your houses'.

- He shouted 'a pox on you' when he lost the argument.
- The character delivers a bitter monologue, wishing a pox upon his enemies for their perceived betrayal.

Teaching tip: This sense is almost exclusively found in Shakespearean literature or humorous, mock-archaic speech today.

### 3. to infect

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal

to give someone a disease that causes skin spots.

For teachers: to infect a person with a pox-like disease, particularly syphilis in historical contexts.

- The old story tells of a man who was poxed after his travels.
- The satirical poem describes a city where half the inhabitants were poxed by their own vices.

Usage: Usually appears in the passive voice as 'to be poxed'.

## Examples

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.