polion.
/ˈpəʊlɪəʊ/, U.S. /ˈpoʊlioʊ/ Originally U.S.
1. Poliomyelitis, esp. the epidemic or paralytic form. Frequently attributive.polio virus: see poliovirus n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > convulsive or paralytic disorders > [noun] > palsy or paralysis > poliomyelitis
infantile paralysis1843
poliomyelitis1878
polio1911
1911 Indianapolis Star 18 Aug. 12/1 He is the eldest of the children reported to be suffering from ‘polio’ in Indiana since July 1.
1916 Middletown (N.Y.) Daily Times-Press 1 Nov. 8/4 Among the bills presented, was one..for assisting Health Officer Hanmer during the polio epidemic.
1939 Iowa Press-Citizen 26 Jan. 12/4 (caption) A young polio patient exercises in an ingenious whirlpool bath.
1955 G. Greene Quiet Amer. iv. ii. 241 My son's got polio. He's bad.
1980 W. Percy Second Coming i. v. 180 She was touching, even with her not too bad polio limp, and even pretty in a gawky Yankeefied way.
1995 L. Garrett Coming Plague (new ed.) vi. 182 Even the sacred cow of public health—the polio vaccine—would come under fire.
2. A person who has polio; a person who is disabled as a result of having had the disease.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > convulsive or paralytic disorders > [noun] > palsy or paralysis > poliomyelitis > person
polio1934
1934 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Feb. 107/1 Health departments of cities and states poured out money to buy serum from recovered polios to try to cure already sick babies.
1949 Times 12 Oct. 5/4 Urgently needed is a holiday home where ‘polios’—normally unwanted in hotels or boarding-houses—can benefit from change of scene.
1956 Lima (Ohio) News 29 Jan. 6 b/3 There are a lot of us polios who still need therapy.
1995 Observer 23 Apr. (Review section) 18/3 Thanks to his energetic interviewing, we get fascinating recollections not only of the famous..but also of unsung ‘polios’ (their preferred label).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1911