Meanings
plural poxes
- countableuncountableA disease characterized by skin eruptions (especially purulent ones) that may leave pockmarks.
- countableuncountableSyphilis.
- countablefigurativelyuncountableA curse.
a pox on all their houses
1 more example
A pox on him, he's a cat still.
c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]
present singular third person poxes · participle present poxing · participle past poxed · past poxed
- datedtransitiveTo infect with the pox, or syphilis.
Jack had a moſt ſcandalous tongue, and perſuaded Peg that all mankind, beſides himſelf, were pox'd by that ſcarlet-faced whore, †Signiora Bubonia. “As for his brother Lord Peter, the tokens were evident on him, blotches, ſcabs, and the corona. […]”
[1750?], Dr. [John] Arbuthnot, “The History of John Bull: Part II, Chapter III”, in The History of John Bull [by Dr. Arbuthnot]. And Poems on ſeveral Occasions by Dr. Jonathan Swift, with Several Miſcellaneous Pieces, by Dr. Swift and Mr. Pope, London: D. Midwinter, A. Tonson, page 60
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishpocke
- Englishpox
From the plural of Middle English pocke. See also pock. The curse sense involves metonymy: wishing a literal pox upon someone is the original form of pox-relevant curse, and the word pox itself also came to mean curse.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian шарка
- шарка (šarka)A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Catalan buba
- bubaA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Chinese Mandarin 痘
- 痘 (dòu)A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Czech neštovice
- neštoviceA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Finnish rokko, rokkotauti
- rokkoA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
- rokkotautiA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
French vérole, variole
- véroleA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
- varioleA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
- petite véroleA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Japanese 痘瘡
- 痘瘡 (mogasa)A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Latin variola
- variolaA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Persian آبله
- آبله (âbele)A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Polish ospa
- ospaA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Portuguese varíola
- varíolaA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Russian о́спа
- о́спа (óspa)A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Vietnamese đậu
- đậuA disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmark — see also smallpox, variola
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pox
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
pox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pox
“pox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pox. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pox,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pox.
Source: pox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.