Pronunciation: - ' sim- ˌ pleks
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, literally, simple herpes
Date: 1907
: either of two diseases caused by a herpesvirus (species Human herpesvirus 1 and Human herpesvirus 2 of the genus Simplexvirus ) and marked in one case by groups of watery blisters on the skin or mucous membranes (as of the mouth and lips) above the waist and in the other by such blisters on the genitals