Meaning of influenza in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˌɪnfləˈwɛnzə/

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    UK accent

  1. Noun

    influenza

    Etymology

    mid 18th century: from Italian, literally ‘influence’, from medieval Latin influentia (see influence). The Italian word also has the sense ‘an outbreak of an epidemic’, hence ‘epidemic’. It was applied specifically to an influenza epidemic which began in Italy in 1743, later adopted in English as the name of the disease

    Definitions

    1. an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease

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