flu

See also: 'flu

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Clipping of influenza.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /fluː/
  • (Australia) IPA(key): /flʉː/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -uː
  • Homophones: flew, flue

Noun

flu (usually uncountable, plural flus)

  1. Influenza.
    catch/transmit flu
    get/be over the flu
    He missed work because he caught the flu.
    Every winter, doctors warn about seasonal flu.
    • 2025 January 27, Edward Helmore, “First outbreak of rare bird flu strain reported at California poultry farm”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 March 2025:
      Authorities said the discovery of H5N9 bird flu in poultry came alongside the detection of the more common H5N1 strain on the same farm in Merced county, California, and that almost 119,000 birds on the farm had been killed since early December.
  2. (informal) Stomach flu.

Usage notes

  • Can be used with or without the definite article: I have the flu or I have flu

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Samoan: fulū

Translations

See also

See also

Anagrams

Cornish

Etymology

Borrowed from English flu.

Noun

flu f (uncountable)

  1. influenza
    Synonyms: anwosva, terthen

References

  • “flu” in Cornish Dictionary / Gerlyver Kernewek, Akademi Kernewek.

French

Etymology

    Borrowed from English flu (“influenza”).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    flu m (uncountable)

    1. (Quebec) diarrhea

    Gerka

    Numeral

    f́lù

    1. two

    Indonesian

    Noun

    flu (plural flu-flu)

    1. flu
    2. (colloquial) common cold

    Usage notes

    This term is frequently misused to refer to the common cold. Strictly speaking, the common cold is called selesma, while influenza is referred to as influenza.

    Lakurumau

    Noun

    flu

    1. house

    References

    • Lidia Mazzitelli, Documentation of Lakurumau: Making the case for one more language in Papua New Guinea (2020)

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /flʉː/

    Etymology 1

    Related to the verb fly (“to fly”). The verb is derived from the noun.

    Noun

    flu n (definite singular fluet, indefinite plural flu, definite plural flua)

    1. (countable and uncountable, fishing) bait that is strewn out over the surface to attract fish

    Verb

    flu (present tense flur, past tense fludde, past participle flutt/fludd, passive infinitive fluast, present participle fluande, imperative flu)

    1. (intransitive) to fish using such a technique
    Alternative forms

    Etymology 2

    From Old Norse flúð.

    Alternative forms

    • flud (non-standard since 1917)

    Noun

    flu f (definite singular flua, indefinite plural fluer, definite plural fluene)

    1. a bank or skerry which is underwater at high tide

    References

    Anagrams

    Tashelhit

    Etymology

      Inherited from Proto-Berber. Cognate with Tamahaq əfləh (“to cleave”) and Siwi fli (“to be split, cleaved”).

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /flu/

      Verb

      flu (perfective fla or fli, imperfective fllu or flla, verbal noun aflu, Tifinagh spelling ⴼⵍⵓ, Arabic spelling فلو)

      1. to pierce
      2. to be pierced
      3. to be cracked

      References

      • Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 2 F–L (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/2) (in French), Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN

      Turkish

      Etymology

        Borrowed from French flou.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /fʎu/

        Adjective

        flu

        1. fuzzy
        2. (photography) blurred, out of focus
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