herpes zoster

American

[zos-ter] / ˈzɒs tər /

noun

Pathology.

shingles.

herpes zoster British

/ ˈzɒstə /

noun

a technical name for shingles

"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

Etymology

Origin of herpes zoster

1800–10; < New Latin: literally, belt herpes

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The vaccine protects against herpes zoster, a condition that causes a painful rash and can sometimes lead to long-lasting nerve pain.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, resulting in a painful rash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

After a brief internet search, the diagnosis confirmed what Drover suspected: She had a herpes zoster outbreak, also known as shingles.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023

And nearly all of the viral-disease pairings involved “neurotropic” viruses—those that can invade the central nervous system, such as herpes simplex and herpes zoster and some strains of influenza.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 19, 2023

I still have "Itching, with an eruption resembling at times herpes zoster below the left scapula."

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023