anthrax

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax).

noun

1. (pathology) An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
2. The human disease that can occur in humans through contact with infected herbivores, tissue from infected animals, or high concentrations of anthrax spores, but is not usually spread between humans, with symptoms including lesions on the skin or in the lungs, often fatal.