herpes simplex

1. 1.

   an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus; affects the skin and nervous system; produces small temporary (but sometimes painful) blisters on the skin and mucous membranes

   Broaderherpes

   Narroweroral herpesgenital herpes
2. 2.

   a herpes virus that affects the skin and nervous system

   Synonymsherpes simplex virus

   Broaderherpes

   Narrowerherpes simplex 1herpes simplex 2

Questions about herpes simplex

What does herpes simplex mean?

herpes simplex means "an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus; affects the skin and nervous system; produces small temporary (but sometimes painful) blisters on the skin and mucous membranes". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for herpes simplex?

Close synonyms include herpes simplex virus. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is herpes simplex a common word?

herpes simplex is banded "Rare" — specialist or archaic — most readers will not have met it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.