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.

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

influenza

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.

Other Word Forms

• influenzal adjective
• influenzalike adjective
• postinfluenzal 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

Epidemiologists and virologists worry that avian influenza could generate a pandemic if allowed to spread and mutate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That drug, called CD388, is designed to prevent influenza, but is not a vaccine.

Read more on Barron's

Scientists track the evolution of influenza viruses because they mutate constantly and the seasonal flu vaccine has to be updated each year to keep up.

Read more on BBC

Spain will confine poultry indoors in several regions starting Monday in response to escalating cases of avian influenza across Europe, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday.

Read more on Barron's

It added it also was affected by the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza and pneumoviruses within the poultry industry.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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