Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a disease, commonly of children, caused by the varicella zoster virus and characterized by mild headache and fever, malaise, and eruption of blisters on the skin and mucous membranes.
noun
- a highly communicable viral disease most commonly affecting children, characterized by slight fever and the eruption of a rash
c.1730, from chicken (n.) + pox. Perhaps so called for its mildness compared to smallpox [Barnhart].
n.
- An acute contagious disease, primarily of children, that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and characterized by skin eruptions, slight fever, and malaise.varicella
- A highly contagious infectious disease, usually of children, caused by the varicella-zoster virus of the genus Varicellavirus. The infection is characterized by fever, and itching skin blisters that start on the trunk of the body and spread to the extremities. Also called varicella
A mild but highly contagious disease, caused by a virus and characterized by slight fever and the eruption of blisters on the skin. Chicken pox is classified as a disease of childhood, although it can occur in adults.