From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishherpesher‧pes /ˈhɜːpiːz $ ˈhɜːr-/ noun [uncountable] MIa very infectious disease that causes spots on the skin, for example on the sexual organs or face
Examples from the Corpus
herpes• Illnesses, including chronic muscle debility, herpes, tremors and eye infections, have come and gone.• And as you might expect, Milton had far fewer herpes outbreaks.• In the case of the rare hooded crane, the introduction of a foreign herpes virus has threatened the remaining wild population.• She followed this advice and had no further attacks of herpes in the next six months.• The ministry said that he had died of herpes of the brain.• A quick comparison showed enough similarities to other herpes viruses to determine that it was part of that viral family.• Three days later, she was diagnosed with herpes.Origin herpes (1300-1400) Latin Greek, from herpein “to move slowly and quietly” 