flu

UK/fluː/

nounA2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #2,673 of 15,258neutral

Flu is an illness with fever and aching body, worse than a simple cold. Catch the flu, flu jab, off with flu.

It comes on suddenly and floors you, where a cold builds over days and lets you carry on — which is the practical test people use. The vaccine is reformulated each year because the virus changes. Note that the word is short for influenza, an Italian word meaning influence, from the idea of the stars' influence causing epidemics.

flu — Photo Credit: Cynthia Goldsmith Content Providers(s): CDC/ Dr. Terrence Tumpey · Public domain

Definitions of flu

1nounfluA viral illness with fever and body aches.A2+
“I've got the flu, so I'm staying in bed today.”

flu is an illness.

Also accepted in games: influenza

Where it comes from

A clipping of influenza, Italian for influence, from the belief that the stars influenced outbreaks.

a clipping of influenza.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Body & Health

Practise this word

flu in the wild

Although it is not related to influenza, in Canada and the United States it is often referred to as "stomach flu".
Gastroenteritis
If transmission causes human illness, it is called a zoonotic swine flu.
Swine influenza
People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infections.
Swine influenza
Influenza-like illness (ILI), also known as flu-like syndrome or flu-like symptoms, is a medical diagnosis of possible influenza or other illness causing a set of common symptoms.
Influenza-like illness
The 1977 Russian flu was an influenza epidemic that was first reported by the Soviet Union in 1977 and lasted until 1979.
1977 Russian flu

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

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flu