Spanish flu

[ span-ish floo ]

/ ˈspæn ɪʃ ˈflu /

Save This Word!

noun Pathology.

the pandemic strain of type A influenza that spread throughout the world during 1918–20: it is also referred to as the 1918 flu pandemic or 1918 influenza pandemic .

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also Span·ish in·flu·en·za

[span-ish in-floo-en-zuh] /ˈspæn ɪʃ ˌɪn fluˈɛn zə/ .

Origin of Spanish flu

First recorded in 1918; so called because wartime censorship in the major belligerent powers, particularly the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, and France, minimized early reports of illness and mortality among themselves but freely reported the effects of the pandemic in neutral Spain, leaving the impression that Spain was very hard hit by this flu

Words nearby Spanish flu

Spanish burton, Spanish cedar, Spanish Civil War, Spanish customs, Spanish dagger, Spanish flu, Spanish fly, Spanish foot, Spanish Guinea, Spanish guitar, Spanish heel

How to use Spanish flu in a sentence

I am fortunate that I have never been deathly ill, but whenever I have the stomach flu, I most certainly feel like I am dying.
Why My Norovirus Panic Makes Me Sick|Lizzie Crocker|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
According to some rumors, Goya was once on staff before his fame as a Spanish painter.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This concern ceased after the Spanish warned of severe punitive measures on the family members of suicides.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hatuey replied that he would rather burn and be sent to hell than ever again encounter people as cruel as the Spanish.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“They also were responsible for the Barcelona subway plot,” a plan disrupted by Spanish law enforcement in 2008.
Pakistani School Killers Want to Strike the U.S.|Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The seed of discontent was again germinating under the duplicity of the Spanish lay and clerical authorities.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Like every other Spanish general in supreme command abroad, Polavieja had his enemies in Spain.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He has secured the release of certain Spanish prisoners, and is building two ships.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The cathedral is the only Spanish parochial church; it cares for two thousand four hundred souls.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The total fresh troops amounted to about 500 men of the 73rd Native Regiment and Spanish cazadores.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman