VARIOLA MAJOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does variola major mean? 

• VARIOLA MAJOR (noun)
  The noun VARIOLA MAJOR has 2 senses:

1. a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars

2. a type of smallpox virus that has a fatality rate of up to 25 percent

  Familiarity information: VARIOLA MAJOR used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VARIOLA MAJOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

smallpox; variola; variola major

Hypernyms ("variola major" is a kind of...):

pox (a contagious disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pock marks)

Meronyms (parts of "variola major"):

pock (a pustule in an eruptive disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variola major"):

alastrim; Cuban itch; Kaffir pox; milk pox; pseudosmallpox; pseudovariola; variola minor; West Indian smallpox; white pox (a mild form of smallpox caused by a less virulent form of the virus)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A type of smallpox virus that has a fatality rate of up to 25 percent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

variola major; variola major virus

Hypernyms ("variola major" is a kind of...):

smallpox virus; variola virus (the virus that causes smallpox in humans; can be used as a bioweapon)