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molluscum contagiosum

molluscum contagiosum noun: a viral infection of the skin or (occasionally) mucous membranes, caused by Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a DNA poxvirus.

Noun

molluscum contagiosum (uncountable)

  1. A viral infection of the skin or (occasionally) mucous membranes, caused by Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a DNA poxvirus.
    • The virus causing molluscum contagiosum is a member of the DNA pox family. It is particularly prevalent in underdeveloped countries, and afflicts over 20% of the population in some South Pacific regions. Children are its prime target, but adults can be affected as well.2002, Mark B. Mengel, Warren Lee Holleman, Scott A. Fields, Fundamentals of Clinical Practice, page 774
    • Molluscum contagiosum is a viral infection caused by the large poxvirus, and, as the name implies, it is spread by direct contact. In older adolescents and adults, it is most often passed by sexual contact.2002, Richard B Birrer, Mary B. Cataletto, Pediatric Sports Medicine for Primary Care, page 156
    Synonyms:
    MC, water wart

Synonyms of molluscum contagiosum

Origin of molluscum contagiosum

From Latin inflected forms of molluscus (“soft”), + contagiosus (“contagious”) (from contagio (“contact”)).

Questions about molluscum contagiosum

What does molluscum contagiosum mean?
Molluscum contagiosum means a viral infection of the skin or (occasionally) mucous membranes, caused by Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a DNA poxvirus.
What part of speech is molluscum contagiosum?
Molluscum contagiosum is a noun.

Words near molluscum contagiosum in the dictionary

  1. molluscoids
  2. molluscophobia
  3. molluscous
  4. molluscs
  5. molluscum
  6. molluscum contagiosum
  7. molluscum fibrosum
  8. molluseries
  9. mollusk
  10. molluskan
  11. molluskicidal

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: molluscum contagiosum (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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