influenza

[ in-floo-en-zuh ]

noun

1. Pathology. an acute, commonly epidemic disease, occurring in several forms, caused by numerous rapidly mutating viral strains and characterized by respiratory symptoms and general prostration. Compare flu.
2. Veterinary Pathology. an acute, contagious disease occurring in horses and swine, characterized by fever, depression, and catarrhal inflammations of the eyes, nasal passages, and bronchi, and caused by a virus.

influenza

/ ˌɪnflʊˈɛnzə /

noun

1. informal.
   a highly contagious and often epidemic viral disease characterized by fever, prostration, muscular aches and pains, and inflammation of the respiratory passages Also calledgrippeflu

influenza

/ ĭn′flo̅o̅-ĕn′zə /

1. A highly contagious infectious disease that is caused by any of various viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae and is characterized by fever, respiratory symptoms, fatigue, and muscle pain. It commonly occurs in epidemics, one of which killed 20 million people between 1917 and 1919.

influenza

1. Commonly called the flu; an acute and infectious disease of the respiratory system caused by a virus and characterized by fever, muscle pain, headache, and inflammation of the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract .

Derived Forms

• ˌinfluˈenzal, adjective

Other Words From

• influ·enzal adjective
• influ·enza·like adjective
• postin·flu·enzal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of influenza¹

1735–45; < Italian < Medieval Latin influentia influence

Word History and Origins

Origin of influenza¹

C18: from Italian, literally: influence , hence, incursion, epidemic (first applied to influenza in 1743)

Word History

Since ancient times, influenza has periodically swept the world. Until recently, people could not tell how this illness, which we call the flu, could spread so widely. Before people knew that organisms cause disease, they thought the stars influenced the spread of influenza. Influenza comes ultimately from the Latin word influentia, meaning “influence of the stars.” Today, however, the stars are no longer blamed for the flu. Inhaling influenza viruses causes the spread of the illness.

Example Sentences

The other goes back to a person’s first influenza exposure.

From Los Angeles Times

After the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 killed 675,000 people in the U.S., it became known as the “Forgotten Pandemic,” because governmental and scientific institutions, along with the public, largely stopped talking about it, said George Dehner, a historian at Wichita State University who studies public health.

From Salon

Murnau's silent film Nosferatu in 1922, centring on a character famous for the plagued rats he brought in his wake, came shortly after the Spanish influenza pandemic.

From BBC

Swine are considered by health officials to be efficient influenza mixing bowls: They are susceptible to both avian and human flu viruses and can potentially provide an opportunity for different viruses to exchange genetic materials and become a greater threat to humans.

From Los Angeles Times

A July 22 email suggests that people might have infected their domestic cats with the bird flu, also called HPAI, for “highly pathogenic avian influenza,” but epidemiologists couldn’t determine how it happened because the animals’ owners had not been tested.

From Salon

Related Words

• contagion
• curse
• epidemic
• infection
• infestation
• invasion
• outbreak
• pandemic
• scourge