varicella
/ˌvær.ɪˈsɛl.ə/ noun
Forms varicellas varicellae
- noun (pathology) An acute, highly contagious pathogenic disease caused by the varicella zoster virus, primarily affecting children and characterized by a widespread eruptive skin rash of itchy blisters;chicken pox
- noun (loosely) Any of various other eruptive diseases, such as swinepox, hives, and varioloid.
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin varicella, diminutive of variola (“pox”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [NL., dim. of LL. variola smallpox.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “varicella”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details