influenza
/ˌɪnfluˈɛnzə/
noun
Origin
Italian
influenza — influence, visitation (astrological)
Overview
Meaning Now
- A contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs.
Literal older meaning
influence (specifically celestial or astrological influence)
Language path
Latin → Italian → English
Earliest form
influenza
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The term reflects a pre-modern medical view where epidemics were thought to be caused by the 'influence' of celestial bodies. By the 18th century, Italian physicians used it to describe outbreaks, and the term migrated to English during the 1743 European pandemic.
Evolution
- Medieval Latin
influentia
“an ethereal fluid flowing from the stars”
Used in astrology to describe influences on human destiny.
- 14th century Italian
influenza
“epidemic attributed to astrological influence”
Expanded to denote widespread illness caused by planetary alignments.
- 18th century English
influenza
“the specific respiratory disease”
Borrowed from Italian; originally referred to a 1743 epidemic.
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
into, in
fluere
root
to flow
Related across languages
Italian
influence; the disease
French
influence
influence (but not used for the disease)
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Related to influenza
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.