Aids

/eɪdz/ noun

Definition

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; also plural of aid (assistance)

Etymology

Acronym from 1982; aid from Old French aide

Kelly Says

Medical acronym that became dominant meaning, overshadowing plural of 'aid'

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ሰላም
ARالعربية
مساعدة
BNবাংলা
সাহায্য
CACatalà
ajuda
CSČeština
pomoc
DADansk
hjælp
DEDeutsch
Hilfe
ELΕλληνικά
βοήθεια
ESEspañol
ayuda
FAفارسی
کمک
FISuomi
apu
FRFrançais
aide
GUGU
મદદ
HAHA
taimako
HEעברית
עזרה
HIहिन्दी
मदद
HUMagyar
segítség
IDBahasa Indonesia
bantuan
IGIG
inyemma
ITItaliano
aiuto
JA日本語
援助
KKKK
көмек
KMKM
ជំនួយ
KO한국어
도움
MRMR
मदत
MSBahasa Melayu
bantuan
MYမြန်မာ
အကူအညီ
NLNederlands
hulp
NONorsk
hjelp
PAPA
ਮਦਦ
PLPolski
pomoc
PTPortuguês
ajuda
RORomână
ajutor
RUРусский
помощь
SVSvenska
hjälp
SWKiswahili
msaada
TAதமிழ்
உதவி
TEతెలుగు
సహాయం
THไทย
ความช่วยเหลือ
TLTL
tulong
TRTürkçe
yardım
UKУкраїнська
допомога
URاردو
مدد
VITiếng Việt
trợ giúp
YOYO
iranlọwọ
ZH中文
援助
ZUZU
usizo

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Early AIDS discourse criminalized and blamed sex workers and gay men; women—especially Black women and WSW—were invisible in prevention/treatment narratives despite high infection rates.

Inclusive Usage

Use 'HIV/AIDS' with person-centered language. Avoid euphemism; say 'living with HIV'. Acknowledge all affected groups equally.

Inclusive Alternatives

["HIV infection","people living with HIV","HIV-positive"]

Empowerment Note

Black women, Latina women, and sex workers led community care and treatment literacy during crisis when governments abandoned patients; their activism deserves acknowledgment.

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