INFLUENZA

influenza, flu, grippe

(noun) an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

influenza (countable and uncountable, plural influenzas or influenze)

(disease) An acute contagious disease of the upper airways and lungs, caused by a virus, which rapidly spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics.

Synonyms

• flu

• grippe, grip

Source: Wiktionary

In`flu*en"za, n. Etym: [It. influenza influence, an epidemic formerly attributed by astrologers to the influence of the heavenly bodies, influenza. See Influence.] (Med.)

Definition: An epidemic affection characterized by acute nasal catarrh, or by inflammation of the throat or the bronchi, and usually accompanied by fever.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition