Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
Either of the two species of retroviruses that infect cells in the human immune system and can potentially lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, microbiology, natural-sciences, virology
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: HIV
Antonyms: none provided
noun
the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); it replicates in and kills the helper T cells
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: HIV
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: retrovirus
History
The name was first proposed by a subcommittee of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses on 1 May 1986 in the Nature journal (as human immunodeficiency virus, along with its initialism HIV), in an effort to establish an internationally acceptable name to replace “the multiplicity of names currently in use”. However, the term is first attested on 11 April 1986 in the Capital Gay newspaper (as human immune deficiency virus).
Across languages
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
