grippe
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of grippe
First recorded in 1770–80; from French, noun derivative of gripper “to seize suddenly,” from Germanic; akin to grip, gripe
Explanation
Grippe is an old fashioned word for the flu — the virus that can give you a fever, sore throat, and a headache. If you fear you're coming down with the grippe, you might spend the day in bed drinking tea. When someone feels achy, shivery, and tired, they probably fear having the grippe, which is highly contagious and sickens many people each year, mostly in the winter months. Today it's more commonly called the flu, short for influenza. English speakers called it the grippe in the eighteenth century, from the French grippe, which means "influenza," but also "seizure," from gripper, "grasp or hook."
Vocabulary lists containing grippe
The Catcher in the Rye
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The Old Man and the Sea
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Fever 1793
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But it is hard,” Grippe said, perhaps trying to soften the blow.
From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2015
Grippe failed to melt his wife’s icy look.
From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2015
“I’m for the local kid,” Frank Grippe said as his wife, Gayle Kerznar, glared at him.
From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2015
"Perez was controlling his rates of fire, pointing out targets, just doing an awesome job," Grippe says.
From Time Magazine Archive
At the opening of the 1890 session, I caught a very severe cold in Brisbane, which developed into "La Grippe," and I was confined to my room for seven weeks.
From Reminiscences of Queensland 1862-1869 by Corfield, W. H. (William Henry)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
