"Variolates" is a word used to describe the act of inoculating a person with the smallpox virus to immunize them against the disease. However, there are several synonyms that can also be used to describe this process, such as vaccinate, inoculate, immunize, and protect. All of these words are commonly used to describe the act of introducing a small amount of a disease to a person as a means of building up their immunity to it. While "variolates" is a more technical term, these synonyms are often more commonly used and are better understood by the general public.