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Glite Dictionary
🦠 A virus 🤒 A skin disease
herpes simplex

herpes simplex

3.8
An infection that causes small painful blisters on the skin or in the mouth
  • noun
  • /ˈhɜrpiːz ˈsɪmplɛks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : herpes simplex
  • The doctor confirmed that the painful blisters were caused by herpes simplex.

Examples

  • Antiviral medication can help reduce the frequency of herpes simplex outbreaks.

  • Many people are unaware that herpes simplex can also infect the eyes.

  • She was diagnosed with herpes simplex last year.

  • The herpes simplex virus can cause painful blisters.

  • Antiviral medication can help reduce the frequency of herpes simplex outbreaks.

  • The doctor confirmed that the painful blisters were caused by herpes simplex.

  • Many people are unaware that herpes simplex can also infect the eyes.

Synonyms

cold sore
vsherpes simplex
8 3.2

Small painful blisters on the lips or around the mouth that a virus causes

is the underlying viral infection that affects body surfaces, not only one lesion
fever blister
vsherpes simplex
  • US
1 5.1

A small painful sore on the lip or face caused by the herpes virus

is the general viral infection that can affect various skin or mucous areas
herpes labialis
vsherpes simplex
  • Specialized
4.3

A viral infection that causes painful blisters on the lips or around the mouth

is broader, affecting any skin or mucous membranes beyond the mouth
oral herpes
vsherpes simplex
  • Specialized
5.1

A contagious infection that causes painful cold sores on or around the lips

is broader, applying to infections on any skin or mucous membranes

Surface Forms

herpes simplex singular
herpes simples plural

Morphology

herpes + simplex

The term is compositional in that 'herpes' signals the class of viral infection and 'simplex' marks a specific subtype, so a learner who knows 'herpes' will likely infer this is a particular kind of herpes. However, 'simplex' is a technical/Latin label whose contribution to the clinical meaning (symptoms, oral vs. genital, viral cause) is not transparent to a B1 learner, making the overall expression only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Herpes simplex takes its name from herpes, an old word meaning 'to creep', because the painful blisters can appear to crawl or spread along the skin. The second part, simplex, means 'simple' or 'single' to mark it as the usual, not-complicated form, which is why the name now describes the viral infection with small blisters.