Definition of "herpes" []

• Any of several viral diseases causing the eruption of small blisterlike vesicles on the skin or mucous membranes, especially herpes simplex or herpes zoster. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Shingles is sometimes called herpes "zoster", a Greek word meaning "girdle" or "belt", which describes the appearance of the rash."
• "Laskin 1982 wrote about what he called the herpes syndrome, the sense of being impaired, damaged, anguished, and in isolation."
• "Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a virus spread during sex with an infected partner."