herpes

[ hur-peez ]

/ ˈhɜr piz /

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noun Pathology.

any of several diseases caused by herpesvirus, characterized by eruption of blisters on the skin or mucous membranes.Compare chickenpox, genital herpes, oral herpes, shingles.

herpesvirus.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of herpes

1375–1425; late Middle English <New Latin: cutaneous eruption <Greek hérpēs, literally, a creeping (akin to hérpein to creep, spread); cognate with Latin serpēnsserpent

Words nearby herpes

Hero's formula, hero worship, herp, herpangina, herp derp, herpes, herpes genitalis, herpes labialis, herpes simplex, herpesvirus, herpes zoster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use herpes in a sentence

Pace also accused Kelly of beating her, choking her, sexually assaulting her and knowingly giving her herpes — a claim prosecutors later backed by calling Kelly’s personal physician to discuss his patient’s history of treatment for herpes.
An R. Kelly accuser says he controlled her CBS News interview. Here’s what else to know about his trial.|Sonia Rao|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
Enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses and herpes viruses encode a structure on their surface that each virus uses to gain entry into a cell.
HIV/AIDS Vaccine: Why Don’t We Have One After 37 Years, When We Have Several For COVID-19 After A Few Months?|LGBTQ-Editor|May 29, 2021|No Straight News
Once infected with a herpes virus, you are infected for life.
HIV/AIDS Vaccine: Why Don’t We Have One After 37 Years, When We Have Several For COVID-19 After A Few Months?|LGBTQ-Editor|May 29, 2021|No Straight News
Most importantly, communicate with potential partners, love yourself, and know that life with herpes doesn’t have to mean a life without love.
The Truth About Dating With Herpes, Women Tell All|Victoria Uwumarogie|May 28, 2021|Essence.com

Shame, fear, confusion, and assumptions about herpes is due to misinformation and a general lack of knowledge.
The Truth About Dating With Herpes, Women Tell All|Victoria Uwumarogie|May 28, 2021|Essence.com
Macaques, a popular exotic pet, carries Herpes B, which has a 70 percent mortality rate on humans, Leahy said.
The $10 Billion Pet Cheetah and Chimp Industry|Sharon Adarlo|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Herpes virus, adenovirus and many others have been studied against a wide variety of cancers; many trials are ongoing.
Are Viruses the Next Cure for Cancer?|Kent Sepkowitz|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Herpes facialis is often observed in association with colds and febrile and lung diseases.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Shingles, shing′glz, n. popular name for the disease Herpes zoster.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
Herpes of the lips sometimes occurs in the commencement of the disease.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Herpes consists of gregarious spreading excoriations, which are succeeded by branny scales or scabs.
Zoonomia, Vol. II|Erasmus Darwin
Herpes has been described in connection with both adult and infantile scurvy.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess

British Dictionary definitions for herpes

herpes

/ (ˈhɜːpiːz) /

noun

any of several inflammatory diseases of the skin, esp herpes simplex, characterized by the formation of small watery blistersSee also genital herpes

Word Origin for herpes

C17: via Latin from Greek: a creeping, from herpein to creep

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for herpes

herpes

[ hûr′pēz ]

Any of several infections caused by the herpes simplex virus of the genus Simplexvirus or by the varicella-zoster virus, a herpes virus of the genus Varicellavirus. Herpes infections are characterized by painful blisters on the skin or a mucous membrane and are highly contagious. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease. Varicella-zoster infection is also called shingles.

Cultural definitions for herpes

herpes

[ (hur-peez) ]

A group of related diseases and the viruses that cause them. These diseases are marked by the development of blisterlike sores on the skin or mucous membranes of the body. The herpes virus may invade the mouth region, producing fever blisters or cold sores, or may cause a sexually transmitted disease in which the painful sores appear on the genitals. Chicken pox is another disease caused by a herpes virus.

notes for herpes

After an infection, the virus remains dormant and may return at a later time. Shingles, for example, is a recurrence of the chicken pox virus, and outbreaks of genital herpes recur over time.

herpes

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Origin of herpes

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British Dictionary definitions for herpes

Word Origin for herpes

Scientific definitions for herpes

Cultural definitions for herpes

notes for herpes