herpes genitalis
- noun
- /ˈhɜr.piz ˌdʒɛn.ɪˈtæl.ɪs/
- Specialized
:
herpes genital
- Outbreaks of herpes genitalis can be triggered by stress or a weakened immune system.
Examples
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The doctor explained that herpes genitalis can be managed with medication.
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Many people with herpes genitalis experience only mild symptoms or none at all.
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Doctors recommend practicing safe sex to reduce the risk of transmitting herpes genitalis.
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Many people are unaware of herpes genitalis and its symptoms.
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Doctors recommend practicing safe sex to reduce the risk of transmitting herpes genitalis.
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Many people with herpes genitalis experience only mild symptoms or none at all.
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Outbreaks of herpes genitalis can be triggered by stress or a weakened immune system.
Synonyms
29
2.7
An illness you can get from someone when you have sex
27
4.2
A group of viral illnesses that cause painful skin rashes, such as cold sores or shingles
7
3.7
A disease spread by sexual contact
1
4.1
An infection you can get during sex that makes painful sores on the genitals and comes back sometimes
1
5.8
A disease people get through sex
An infection that causes small painful blisters on the skin or in the mouth
Surface Forms
Morphology
herpes + genitalis
The term is directly compositional: 'herpes' denotes a viral condition causing sores and 'genitalis' is a Latin-derived adjective meaning 'relating to the genitals', so the phrase literally means herpes of the genital area. This follows regular medical naming patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Herpes genitalis: The medical name herpes comes from a Greek word meaning 'to creep' and genitalis comes from Latin meaning 'of the genitals'. The image of something that 'creeps' along the skin helps explain why the name is used for sores that come back in the genital area.