Meaning & use
Coxsackie
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounpropermedical
A type of enterovirus that causes illnesses such as hand, foot, and mouth disease, herpangina, and sometimes meningitis or heart inflammation.
Grammar: Usually written with a capital C and often followed by 'virus' or a letter and number, as in 'Coxsackie B virus'.
Patterns
- Coxsackie virus
- Coxsackie B virus
- coxsackievirus infection
The doctor said the child's mouth sores were probably caused by a Coxsackie virus.
Coxsackie B viruses can sometimes lead to inflammation of the heart muscle.
Outbreaks of Coxsackie infections are common in daycare centers during the summer.
Common combinations
- Coxsackie virus
- Coxsackie virus is spread mainly through contact with unwashed hands.
- Coxsackie B
- Coxsackie B infections have been linked to chest pain and heart problems.
- coxsackievirus infection
- Most coxsackievirus infections are mild and clear up without treatment.
- hand, foot, and mouth disease
- Hand, foot, and mouth disease is often caused by a Coxsackie virus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enterovirus
- A broader group of viruses that includes Coxsackie viruses; use 'enterovirus' when you are not naming the specific type.
Word family
- coxsackievirus noun
- The written as one word form of Coxsackie virus, common in scientific texts.
Commonly confused: Coxsackie or Coxsackie?
Coxsackie vs Coxsackie
This is the place in New York State, but in medical contexts it almost always refers to the virus named after that town.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Coxsackie' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Coxsackie' is used as a proper noun before 'virus' (Coxsackie virus). It is not used alone as a countable noun, so the other options are not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Coxsackie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.