Meanings
plural chicken poxes · alternative chickenpox · alternative chicken-pox
- archaicuncountableusuallymedicineThe blisters formed by the varicella zoster virus (VZV).
Synonyms: chicken pock
- uncountableusuallymedicineThe highly contagious airborne disease caused by initial infection with varicella zoster virus, typically causing a skin rash that forms small itchy blisters.
Chickenpox parties, at which children gather so they can all be infected by a child who has the pox, are often held by parents who distrust chickenpox vaccine or want their children to have the stronger immunity that surviving a full-blown infection affords.
2009 May 7, New York Times, page A12Synonyms: varicella
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe blisters formed by the varicella zoster virus (VZV).
nounThe highly contagious airborne disease caused by initial infection with varicella zoster virus, typically causing a skin rash that forms small itchy blisters.
Origin
From chicken + pox, under the influence of earlier hen-pox and swinepox, which formed larger blisters.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جُدَرِيّ المَاء, عَنْقَز
- جُدَرِيّ المَاء (judariyy al-māʔ)disease
- عَنْقَز (ʕanqaz)disease
Bulgarian варицела
- варицела (varicela)disease
Catalan varicel·la
- varicel·ladisease
Chinese Cantonese 水痘
- 水痘disease
Chinese Mandarin 水痘
- 水痘 (shuǐdòu)disease
Czech plané neštovice
- plané neštovicedisease
Danish skoldkopper
- skoldkopperdisease
Dutch waterpokken, wijnpokken
- waterpokkendisease
- wijnpokkendisease
- windpokkendisease
- varicelladisease
Esperanto varioleto
- varioletodisease
Finnish vesirokko
- vesirokkodisease
French varicelle
- varicelledisease
German Windpocken
- Windpockendisease
Greek ανεμοβλογιά
- ανεμοβλογιά (anemovlogiá)disease
Hebrew אבעבועות רוח
- אבעבועות רוח (ava'abu'ot ruakh)disease
Hindi छोटी माता
- छोटी माता (choṭī mātā)disease
Hungarian bárányhimlő
- bárányhimlődisease
Icelandic hlaupabóla
- hlaupabóladisease
Irish deilgneach
- deilgneachdisease
Italian varicella
- varicelladisease
Japanese 水痘, 水疱瘡
- 水痘 (suitō)disease
- 水疱瘡 (mizubōsō)disease
Korean 수두
- 수두 (sudu)disease
Latvian vējbakas
- vējbakasdisease
Lithuanian vėjaraupiai
- vėjaraupiaidisease
Māori koroputa hei
- koroputa heidisease
Norwegian Bokmål vannkopper
- vannkopperdisease
Polish ospa, ospa wietrzna
- ospadisease
- ospa wietrznadisease
- wiatrówkadisease
- wietrzycadisease
Portuguese varicela, catapora
- variceladisease
- cataporadisease
Punjabi ਛੋਟੀ ਮਾਤਾ
- ਛੋਟੀ ਮਾਤਾ (choṭī mātā)disease
Romanian vărsat de vânt
- vărsat de vântdisease
Russian ветряна́я о́спа, ветря́нка
- ветряна́я о́спа (vetrjanája óspa)disease
- ветря́нка (vetrjánka)disease
Spanish varicela, china
- variceladisease
- chinadisease
- lechinadisease
- peste cristaldisease
Swahili tetekuwanga
- tetekuwangadisease
Swedish vattkoppor
- vattkoppordisease
Tagalog bulutung-tubig, bulutong-tubig
- bulutung-tubigdisease
- bulutong-tubigdisease
Tamil சின்னம்மை, பயற்றம்மை
- சின்னம்மை (ciṉṉammai)disease
- பயற்றம்மை (payaṟṟammai)disease
Thai อีสุกอีใส, สุกใส
- อีสุกอีใส (ii-sùk-ii-sǎi)disease
- สุกใส (sùk-sǎi)disease
Turkish su çiçeği
- su çiçeğidisease
Ukrainian вітряна́ ві́спа, вітря́нка
- вітряна́ ві́спа (vitrjaná víspa)disease
- вітря́нка (vitrjánka)disease
Vietnamese thủy đậu
- thủy đậudisease
Welsh brech yr ieir
- brech yr ieirdisease
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with chicken pox
Cite this entry
chicken pox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chicken%20pox
“chicken pox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chicken%20pox. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chicken pox,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chicken%20pox.
Source: chicken pox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.