anthrax

noun

an·​thrax ˈan-ˌthraks 

: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (such as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (such as wool), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs

also : the bacterium causing anthrax

Examples of anthrax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lake said her campaign office was targeted by a package labeled as anthrax. —Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Oct. 2024

One need only compare this to SARS (ten percent), smallpox (30 percent), pulmonary anthrax (80 percent), or Ebola (90 percent) to consider that the coronavirus could easily have been much, much worse. —Nathan Levine, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2021

That incident was followed hours later by reports of an anthrax scare at Kari Lake's Senate campaign office in Phoenix, which prompted an evacuation. —Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Oct. 2024

An earlier version of this essay incorrectly identified anthrax as a chemical weapon. —William MacAskill, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French, originally a word applied to the dark skin lesion associated with the cutaneous form of the disease, extended in the 18th century to the disease itself (also called charbon); earlier, "dark skin lesion, carbuncle," going back to Middle French antrac, borrowed from Late Latin anthrac-, anthrax, borrowed from Greek anthrak-, ánthrax "charcoal (burning or unlit, usually in plural), coal, dark red precious stone, dark skin lesion," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: In the sense "carbuncle, purulent skin lesion (of various origins)," anthrax has been in occasional use in English since Middle English (then attested as antrax, antrace). Regarding the origin of the Greek word, cf. andráchlē "warming pan, brazier," (with -d- for -th-) and kándaros glossed ánthrax by Hesychius (k- alternating with ø), features (along with the suffix -ak-) suggesting substratal origin (see Robert Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010).

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

anthrax

noun

an·​thrax ˈan-ˌthraks 

: an infectious and usually fatal disease of warm-blooded animals (as cattle and sheep) caused by a bacterium and transmissible to humans

also : a bacterium causing anthrax

Medical Definition

anthrax

noun

an·​thrax ˈan-ˌthraks 

plural anthraces -thrə-ˌsēz 

: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (as hair), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs

also : the bacterium causing anthrax