aids

aids — noun

1. a life-threatening illness in which the HIV virus gradually weakens a person's i

1.nounB2
Definition

a life-threatening illness in which the HIV virus gradually weakens a person's immune system so that ordinary infections become very dangerous and can lead to death; the name is almost always written in capitals as AIDS, the four letters standing for the medical term Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Example

Dr. Patel explained that AIDS is caused by HIV, a virus that attacks the body's defence cells.

AIDS as bare uncountable noun; pattern: AIDS is caused by ...

The clinic in Nairobi offers free testing and counselling for people living with HIV and AIDS.

fixed phrase: people living with HIV and AIDS

Common collocations
  • develop AIDS
  • die of AIDS
  • patients with AIDS
  • people living with HIV and AIDS
  • full-blown AIDS
  • AIDS epidemic
  • AIDS awareness
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

AIDS as bare noun (no article)

have / be diagnosed with AIDS

Usage Note

Almost always written in capitals (AIDS) because it is an initialism for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; treated as an uncountable noun, so used without 'a' or 'an' and with singular verbs. Distinguish from HIV: HIV is the virus, AIDS is the late stage of illness it can cause.

Common Mistakes

He has an AIDS.
He has AIDS.
AIDS is uncountable; never use 'a / an' before it.
She caught AIDS from sharing a cup.
She was infected with HIV through unprotected sex.
AIDS itself is not 'caught'; HIV is the virus that is transmitted, mainly via blood or sexual contact, not through everyday social contact.

Word family

  • HIV
    nounB2
  • HIV-positive
    adjectiveC1
  • antiretroviral
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three terms are closely related but not interchangeable. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) names the actual virus that spreads between people through blood, sexual contact, or from mother to baby. AIDS names the late, serious stage of illness that HIV can cause if it is not treated, when the immune system has become very weak. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is simply the full medical name behind the letters AIDS, and is used mostly in formal writing such as journal papers and government reports. So you can say 'Lin Wei is HIV-positive but does not have AIDS' to show that someone carries the virus without being at the late, dangerous stage; thanks to modern drugs, many HIV-positive people in Taiwan never develop AIDS at all.

AIDS ↗HIV ↗Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Common collocations

Nouns

  • AIDS patient
  • AIDS epidemic
  • AIDS awareness
  • AIDS test
  • AIDS virus
  • AIDS research

Phrases

  • people living with HIV and AIDS
  • full-blown AIDS
  • die of AIDS
  • develop AIDS

Prepositions

  • with AIDS
  • from AIDS
  • of AIDS

Etymology

LatinGreekEnglish (medical coinage, 1982)

AIDS is an initialism, first formed in 1982 from the initial letters of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (sometimes written 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome'). Each part comes from Latin roots that came into English through medical and scientific writing: 'acquired' meaning gained later in life rather than inherited, 'immuno-' from Latin 'immunis' (free from, exempt), 'deficiency' from Latin 'deficere' (to fail, fall short), and 'syndrome' from Greek 'syn-' (together) plus 'dromos' (running), describing a set of symptoms that appear together. The capitalised form AIDS quickly replaced earlier names like GRID once doctors realised the illness affected many groups of people, not only one.