Reviewed & updated August 23, 2026

What Is VD? Venereal Disease Meaning Today

Quick answer

VD stands for venereal disease — the umbrella term doctors used until the late 20th century for what we now call STDs or STIs. Named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love, "venereal" simply meant "of sexual desire." Today VD refers to exactly the same conditions: syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and their siblings.

What VD means

If your grandfather mentioned "catching VD," he was talking about sexually transmitted diseases — full stop. The phrase ruled medical language from the 1600s through the Vietnam era; army induction posters, public-health films and 1940s penicillin campaigns all said venereal disease. Only in the late 1970s–80s did "sexually transmitted disease" displace it, followed by today's preference for STI.

Translation table: VD = STD = STI. Three names, one category. A "VD test" from 1965 checks the same things a modern panel does — though testing technology improved enormously.

The Venus connection

English borrowed venereal from Latin venereus — pertaining to Venus, goddess of love and desire. The term entered medicine in the 17th century when physicians grouped the two known sexual plagues, syphilis (the pox) and gonorrhea (the clap), under one label. For nearly three centuries those two diseases were venereal disease, until germ theory revealed dozens more pathogens using the same transmission route.

Is VD still used? And can you get rid of VD?

You'll meet VD in historical texts, veterans' stories, older relatives' vocabulary and crossword puzzles — rarely on clinic signage. The conditions themselves remain very current:

A "VD test" ordered today typically means syphilis serology specifically — the old Wassermann test's descendants (RPR, VDRL) still carry VD-lineage names like "VDRL": Venereal Disease Research Laboratory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the disease called VD?
VD isn't one disease — it's the historical collective name for all sexually transmitted diseases. Someone saying 'the VD' usually meant syphilis or gonorrhea, the era's two headline diagnoses.
Is VD curable?
Yes — every classic VD except viral ones cures with proper antibiotics or antiparasitics. Herpes and HPV-type viral VDs are managed rather than eliminated.
Why did they stop calling it VD?
'Venereal' sounded moralistic and archaic; STD arrived with 1970s public health campaigns, then STI became preferred for accuracy and reduced stigma.
What is a VDRl test?
VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) is a blood test screening for syphilis antibodies — still widely used today, preserving the old terminology in lab reports.
Can you get rid of VD at home?
No reliable home remedy exists for any bacterial VD — prescriptions cure these quickly, so see a provider instead of delaying.

Sources & further reading

STI vs STDWhat Is an STD?Where STDs Came From