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HSV-I

HSV-I

6.8
A virus that usually causes cold sores around the mouth
  • noun
  • /ˌeɪtʃ ɛs vi ˈaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : VHS-I
  • HSV-I is the most common cause of cold sores around the lips and mouth.

Examples

  • Many people carry HSV-I without symptoms.

  • Unlike HSV-2, HSV-I is more frequently transmitted by nonsexual contact.

  • Doctors diagnose oral herpes by detecting the presence of HSV-I in a patient's lesion.

  • She was diagnosed with HSV-I last week.

  • HSV-I is the leading cause of cold sores around the mouth.

  • Many adults have HSV-I and may not even know they are infected.

  • A doctor confirmed that HSV-I was the cause of her recurring mouth sores.

Synonyms

HSV-1
vsHSV-I
  • Specialized
5.5

A virus that usually causes cold sores around the mouth

uses a roman numeral I instead of the digit one
herpes simplex 1
vsHSV-I
  • Specialized
3.3

A virus that usually causes cold sores around the mouth

uses an abbreviation form with a roman numeral I
HS1
vsHSV-I
  • Specialized
4.8

A virus that causes cold sores around the mouth

uses a hyphenated abbreviation with a roman numeral I for clarity

Surface Forms

HSV-I singular
HSV-Is plural

Morphology

HSV-I = H + S + V + I

This is an acronym (initialism) composed of letters and a numeral; the component letters do not convey the meaning to learners and are not productive morphemes.

Etymology

HSV-I stands for herpes simplex virus, where herpes comes from an old Greek word meaning 'to creep' and simplex means 'simple' or 'one'. So HSV-I is the virus that often 'creeps' back on the lips as cold sores, and calling it type 1 shows it is one kind of this virus.