herpes zoster

1. 1.

   eruptions along a nerve path often accompanied by severe neuralgia

   Synonymszostershingles

   Broaderherpes
2. 2.

   a herpes virus that causes shingles

   Synonymsherpes zoster virus

   Broaderherpes

   Narrowerherpes varicella zoster

Questions about herpes zoster

What does herpes zoster mean?

herpes zoster means "eruptions along a nerve path often accompanied by severe neuralgia". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for herpes zoster?

Close synonyms include zoster, shingles, herpes zoster 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 zoster a common word?

herpes zoster is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.