Where does “flu” come from?
flu (English) comes from English influenza, from Italian influenza, from Latin īnfluentia, from Latin īnfluēns, from Latin īnfluō, from Latin īn-, from Latin în, from Latin en — in.
flu (English): Influenza; Stomach flu
Definitions
- Influenza; Stomach flu
Ancestry of “flu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | influenza | An acute contagious disease of the upper airways... |
| 2 | Italian | influenza | influence; influenza, flu; third-person singular... |
| 3 | Latin | īnfluentia | influence |
| 4 | Latin | īnfluēns | flowing into |
| 5 | Latin | īnfluō | to flow or run into |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |