swine flu

noun Pathology.

a highly contagious form of influenza caused by infection with a filterable virus first isolated from swine.

Origin of swine flu

First recorded in 1920–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for swine flu

Contemporary Examples of swine flu

When the swine-flu virus reached Hong Kong yesterday, China was ready.
Is the U.S. Prepared for a Flu Pandemic?
Joshua Cooper Ramo
May 2, 2009
On his 100 days marker, with the swine-flu fear running high, Ford turns out to offer the most relevant precedent.
Will Obama Stumble Like Ford?
Julian Zelizer
April 29, 2009

swine flu in Science

swine flu

[swīn]

A highly contagious form of influenza seen in swine, caused by a virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae. The infection is communicable to humans and caused a worldwide epidemic in 1918.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.