cold sore

noun

1. a vesicular eruption on the face, usually on or near the mouth, often accompanying a cold or a febrile condition; herpes simplex.

cold sore

noun

1. a cluster of blisters at the margin of the lips that sometimes accompanies the common cold, caused by a viral infection Technical nameherpes labialis

Word History and Origins

Origin of cold sore¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Studies have shown that stressed bats are more likely to shed viruses into the environment, kind of like stressed people getting cold sores from herpes viruses.

From Science News

The cold sore had vanished permanently under a régime of health-food, dumb-bells, and icy plunges.

From Project Gutenberg