WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
variola major n 1: a highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever and weakness and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs that slough off leaving scars [syn: smallpox, variola, variola major] 2: a type of smallpox virus that has a fatality rate of up to 25 percent [syn: variola major, variola major virus]