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Definition of "variola" []

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "variola" in a sentence
  • "The term variola is from the Latin varus, a pimple."
  • "Smallpox, caused by a virus called variola, was declared eliminated in 1980 after a global vaccination campaign."
  • "Smallpox virus (scientific name variola major) would be a "good" biological warfare agent because it is unusually robust, can be disseminated through the air as an inhalable aerosol to infect people over a large area, and -- unlike anthrax -- is contagious from one person to another."