herpes
UK /ˈhɜː(ɹ).piz/ · US /ˈhɚ.piz/ noun
Forms herpeses
- noun (medicine) A viral infection, caused by Human alphaherpesvirus 1 and Human alphaherpesvirus 2, marked by painful, watery blisters in the skin or in the mucous membranes or on the genitals.
Synonyms
herpes simplex Human herpesvirus 1 Human herpesvirus 2 herpes virus
Etymology
From Latin herpēs, from Ancient Greek ἕρπης (hérpēs, “herpes”, literally “a creeping”), from ἕρπειν (hérpein, “to creep”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An eruption of the skin, taking various names, according to its form, or the part affected; especially, an eruption of vesicles in small distinct clusters, accompanied with itching or tingling, including shingles, ringworm, and the like; --so called from its tendency to creep or spread from one part of the skin to another.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “herpes”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details