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How did the name chicken pox come to be? | Almanac.com

How did the name chicken pox come to be?

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How did the name chicken pox come to be?
Answer
Pox is an archaic word for an infectious disease characterized by pustules or eruptions. There were many types of pox, and it’s generally believed that the name chicken pox came from the smallness (or lack of severity) of the disease. Another school of thought has it that both chicken pox and swine pox were thought to be derived from the animals whose names they took.