Meanings
plural human immunodeficiency viruses · alternative human immune deficiency virus
- biologyEither of the two species of retroviruses that infect cells in the human immune system and can potentially lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Synonyms: HIV, HIV, AIDS virus, HIV virus, house in Virginia, human T-lymphotropic virus III, HTLV-III, lymphadenopathy-associated virus
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEither of the two species of retroviruses that infect cells in the human immune system and can potentially lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); it replicates in and kills the helper T cells
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
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).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian чове́шки имуннодефици́тен ви́рус
- чове́шки имуннодефици́тен ви́рус (čovéški imunnodeficíten vírus)human immunodeficiency virus
Chinese Mandarin 人類免疫缺陷病毒 /人类免疫缺陷病毒
- 人類免疫缺陷病毒 /人类免疫缺陷病毒 (rénlèi miǎnyì quēxiàn bìngdú)human immunodeficiency virus
Esperanto homa imunonesufiĉestiga viruso
- homa imunonesufiĉestiga virusohuman immunodeficiency virus
Finnish HI-virus
- HI-virushuman immunodeficiency virus
French virus de l'immunodéficience humaine
- virus de l'immunodéficience humainehuman immunodeficiency virus
German Humanes Immundefizienz-Virus
- Humanes Immundefizienz-Virushuman immunodeficiency virus
Irish víreas easpa imdhíonachta daonna
- víreas easpa imdhíonachta daonnahuman immunodeficiency virus
Italian virus dell'immunodeficienza umana
- virus dell'immunodeficienza umanahuman immunodeficiency virus
Japanese 人免疫不全ウイルス
- 人免疫不全ウイルス (hito men'eki fuzen uirusu)human immunodeficiency virus
Korean 인간면역결핍 바이러스
- 인간면역결핍 바이러스 (in'ganmyeonyeokgyeolpip baireoseu)human immunodeficiency virus
Russian ви́рус иммунодефици́та челове́ка
- ви́рус иммунодефици́та челове́ка (vírus immunodeficíta čelovéka)human immunodeficiency virus
Spanish virus de inmunodeficiencia humana
- virus de inmunodeficiencia humanahuman immunodeficiency virus
Swahili virusi vya UKIMWI
- virusi vya UKIMWIhuman immunodeficiency virus
Cite this entry
human immunodeficiency virus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20immunodeficiency%20virus
“human immunodeficiency virus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20immunodeficiency%20virus. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “human immunodeficiency virus,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20immunodeficiency%20virus.
Source: human immunodeficiency virus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.