Meanings
alternative 4-H disease
- datedoffensiveuncountableSynonym of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
2022, Rinaldo F. Canalis, Massimo Ciavolella, Valeria Finucci, Rethinking Medical Humanities Dr. Peter Piot a Belgian physician noticed that among patients who came from Africa there were as many women as men suffering from the “4H disease.”
Synonyms: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, gay cancer, gay plague, gay-related immunodeficiency, GRID, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Origin
Coined in 1981 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the then newly-discovered disease seemed to affect mainly the "four H's": homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs, and Haitians.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
4H disease. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/4H%20disease
“4H disease.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/4H%20disease. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “4H disease,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/4H%20disease.
Source: 4H disease on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.