blackleg

noun

black·​leg ˈblak-ˌleg 

-ˌlāg

1

: a usually fatal toxemia especially of young cattle caused by a soil bacterium (Clostridium chauvoei)

2

: a cheating gambler : swindler

3

chiefly British : a worker hostile to trade unionism or acting in opposition to union policies : scab

Examples of blackleg in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Herding Sheep with Bill There was no contradicting his calendar Of superstitions – the feast of some saint or other The sheep had to be herded off the mountain, Culled and counted, dipped and Doctored with shots for blackleg. —Hartford Courant, courant.com, 11 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1722, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

blackleg

noun

black·​leg ˈblak-ˌleg, -ˌlāg 

: an enzootic usually fatal toxemia especially of young cattle caused by toxins produced by an anaerobic soil bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. chauvoei synonym C. feseri)

called also black quarter, quarter evil, quarter ill, symptomatic anthrax

compare black disease, malignant edema