definition of aids and the meaning of the acronym
uk â /ËÃ¦k.rÉ.nÉªm/ us â /ËÃ¦k.rÉ.nÉªm/. âº an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word: AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Human immunodeficiency virus; a cytopathic retrovirus that is the cause of AIDS. Also called AIDS-related virus, human T-cell leukemia virus type III, human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type III, lymphadenopathy-associated virus.