A serious infectious disease that causes fever and leaves marks or scars on the skin, or a curse wished upon someone.
From Old English 'poceas,' possibly related to 'pocke' (pocket), because the disease created pockets or pustules on the skin. Famous types include smallpox and chickenpox, which have plagued humanity for centuries.
The phrase 'a pox on you!' was a genuine curse in Shakespeare's time because pox was a horrifying, disfiguring disease—wishing someone a pox was like wishing the worst possible suffering on them.
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