herpes
noun/ˈhɜːpiːz/
/ˈhɜːrpiːz/
[uncountable]- one of a group of diseases, caused by a virus, that cause painful spots on the skin, especially on the face and sexual organsOxford Collocations DictionaryHerpes is used before these nouns:
- infection
- virus
Word Originlate Middle English (originally used also of other skin conditions): via Latin from Greek herpēs ‘shingles’, literally ‘creeping’, from herpein ‘to creep’.
Check pronunciation:
herpes