What does herpes mean?

Definitions for herpes
ˈhɜr pizher·pes

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word herpes.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. herpesnoun

    viral diseases causing eruptions of the skin or mucous membrane

  2. herpes, herpes virusnoun

    any of the animal viruses that cause painful blisters on the skin

GCIDE

  1. Herpesnoun

    An eruption of the skin, taking various names, according to its form, or the part affected, caused by a herpesvirus infection; 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.

Wiktionary

  1. herpesnoun

    A viral infection, caused by the Herpes simplex virus, marked by painful, watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes or on the genitals.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Herpesnoun

    A cutaneous inflammation of two kinds: miliaris, or pistularis, which is like millet-seed upon the skin; and exedens, which is more corrosive and penetrating, so as to form little ulcers, if not timely taken care of. John Quincy

    Etymology: ἕϱπις.

    A farther progress towards acrimony maketh a herpes; and, if the access of acrimony be very great, it maketh an herpes exedens. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

Wikipedia

  1. Herpes

    Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Infections are categorized based on the part of the body infected.Oral herpes involves the face or mouth. It may result in small blisters in groups often called cold sores or fever blisters or may just cause a sore throat.Genital herpes, often simply known as herpes, involves the genitalia. It may have minimal symptoms or form blisters that break open and result in small ulcers. These typically heal over two to four weeks. Tingling or shooting pains may occur before the blisters appear. Herpes cycles between periods of active disease followed by periods without symptoms. The first episode is often more severe and may be associated with fever, muscle pains, swollen lymph nodes and headaches. Over time, episodes of active disease decrease in frequency and severity.Herpetic whitlow typically involves the fingers or thumb.Herpes simplex keratitis involves the eye.Herpesviral encephalitis involves the brain.Neonatal herpes involves any part of the body of a newborn, among others.There are two types of herpes simplex virus, type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 more commonly causes infections around the mouth while HSV-2 more commonly causes genital infections. They are transmitted by direct contact with body fluids or lesions of an infected individual. Transmission may still occur when symptoms are not present. Genital herpes is classified as a sexually transmitted infection. It may be spread to an infant during childbirth. After infection, the viruses are transported along sensory nerves to the nerve cell bodies, where they reside lifelong. Causes of recurrence may include: decreased immune function, stress, and sunlight exposure. Oral and genital herpes is usually diagnosed based on the presenting symptoms. The diagnosis may be confirmed by viral culture or detecting herpes DNA in fluid from blisters. Testing the blood for antibodies against the virus can confirm a previous infection but will be negative in new infections.The most effective method of avoiding genital infections is by avoiding vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Condom use decreases the risk. Daily antiviral medication taken by someone who has the infection can also reduce spread. There is no available vaccine and once infected, there is no cure. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and topical lidocaine may be used to help with the symptoms. Treatments with antiviral medication such as aciclovir or valaciclovir can lessen the severity of symptomatic episodes.Worldwide rates of either HSV-1 or HSV-2 are between 60% and 95% in adults. HSV-1 is usually acquired during childhood. Since there is no cure for either HSV-1 or HSV-2, rates of both inherently increase as people age. Rates of HSV-1 are between 70% and 80% in populations of low socioeconomic status and 40% to 60% in populations of improved socioeconomic status. An estimated 536 million people worldwide (16% of the population) were infected with HSV-2 as of 2003 with greater rates among women and those in the developing world. Most people with HSV-2 do not realize that they are infected.

ChatGPT

  1. herpes

    Herpes is a common and highly contagious viral infection, usually characterized by periodic outbreaks of sores and blisters. It is caused by two types of viruses: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1, oral herpes, leading to cold sores or fever blisters around the mouth), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2, genital herpes). It can spread through direct contact with the blisters or through sexual contact. There is currently no cure for herpes, but it can be managed with antiviral medications.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Herpesnoun

    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

  2. Etymology: [L., fr. Gr. "e`rphs, fr. "e`rpein to creep.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Herpes

    hėr′pēz, n. the name of a group of diseases of the skin, characterised by the presence of clusters of vesicles on an inflamed base—Catarrhal herpes and Herpes zoster or Shingles.—adj. Herpet′ic, relating to or resembling herpes: creeping. [Gr. herpēsherpein, to creep.]

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for herpes »

  1. sphere

  2. Hesper

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of herpes in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of herpes in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of herpes in a Sentence

  1. Christina Wojewada:

    The lesions themselves can get confused with the lesions of herpes or chickenpox, or syphilis, and so sexually transmitted disease clinics might be seeing more of these patients for that, because they can present similarly to those diseases, so, I think it's important both for patients and clinicians to give a full history of your potential exposures so that, if appropriate, testing for monkeypox can be performed.

  2. Amy Loper:

    You had a really rotten day, but lucky for you your best friend is having an awesome party later. You go to the party and start drinking. You have a little too much to drink and start talking to this girl/guy you’ve never seen before. You head upstairs to better acquainted despite several friends telling you that you don’t even know this person. You end up having sex with this person. The next day you really can’t remember everything that happened and rely on your best friend to fill you in. A week later you find out that you contracted herpes from your one night stand and that this is a disease you will have all your life and never known when an outbreak will occur.

  3. Hunter Handsfield:

    Because of the nature of the female genitalia, if you get new herpes, there's likely multiple painful blisters, for men, typically a few blisters.

  4. Ben Hatta:

    As soon as the medical tests came back, you ’d see that herpes was the biggest thing, and sometimes you ’d be the first person to tell a contestant that they had herpes. You ’d be like, ‘ Uh, you should call your doctor. ’ Why ? ‘ We’re not going to be able to have you on our show, but you should call your doctor. ’.

  5. John Brooks:

    In some cases, it has produced anal or genital lesions that look like other diseases like herpes or chickenpox or syphilis.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for herpes

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"herpes." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/herpes>.

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