fever blisters / cold sores / oral herpes : Which is the correct terminology?

Yes, just in case you are wondering, the terms "cold sores" and "fever blisters" can be used interchangeably.

Where do the terms fever blisters and cold sores come from?

The timing of oral herpes outbreaks often coincide with those periods when a person's immune system is stressed or weakened. It is thought that during "normal" times a person's immune system is able to keep the herpes virus in check, but when a person's immune system is compromised the herpes virus is able to overcome a person's natural defenses and cause the formation of a lesion.

The terms "fever blisters" and "cold sores" are probably derived from the fact that people have noticed that the timing of a cold (or any illness that stresses their body to the point of causing a fever) often coincides with the initiation of their oral herpes lesions.

Where does the term "herpes" come from?

Greek scholars (including Hippocrates) initiated the use of the word "herpes" to describe those lesions caused by the virus we now call herpes simplex. As translated, "herpes" means to creep or crawl, which to the Greeks described the manner in which these lesions spread.