What does croup mean?
Croup is a common childhood illness in which viral infection inflames the larynx and windpipe, producing its signature harsh, barking cough — often likened to a seal's bark — along with hoarseness and a rasping noise on inhaling known as stridor. It chiefly strikes children between six months and three years old, tends to worsen at night, and frightens parents more than it endangers children: most cases are mild and settle with simple measures such as cool mist or calm air, though severe breathing difficulty needs prompt medical care. The word entered English via Scots in the eighteenth century, displacing earlier terms like 'hooping' descriptions of similar coughs. A second, now largely dated sense refers to the rounded rump or hindquarters of a horse, a usage still met with in riding circles and older literature. For everyday readers, croup means the illness — a word worth knowing because its telltale cough is unmistakable once heard.
An acute viral inflammation of the larynx and trachea in young children, characterized by a barking cough, hoarseness, and inspiratory stridor.
"Mild croup can usually be treated at home with humidified air and plenty of comfort."
(dated) The hindquarters or rump of a horse.
"The judge noted the strong, well-muscled croup of the bay mare."
Largely confined to equestrian and historical contexts today.
Rarely used; the illness is normally treated as an uncountable singular. The plural appears only in veterinary/anatomical references to horses' hindquarters.
"Veterinary manuals of the era compared the croups of different breeds."
A child's croupy cough can sound exactly like a barking seal — so distinctive that doctors often diagnose it over the phone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of croup
The medical term croup arose in eighteenth-century Scotland, apparently from an older Scots word 'croup' meaning to croak or cry hoarsely, aptly matching the illness's characteristic sound. Separately, the equestrian sense comes through Old French 'croupe', meaning the rump of a horse, which itself derives from a Germanic root and gave rise to related words such as crupper and croupier.
How croup is actually used
Almost exclusively used today in the pediatric-medical sense; parents encountering it are usually dealing with a sick toddler, and most cases are mild and managed at home. The equestrian sense survives mainly in horsey or historical writing. The word is uncountable as an illness — one has croup, not 'croups' — though the plural exists in the anatomical sense.
Easily confused with croup
A croupier is the person who runs a gambling table; the shared element traces to 'croup' meaning rump, but the words have entirely different meanings.
Whooping cough (pertussis) causes long whooping inhalations after fits of coughing, while croup produces a barking cough and noisy breathing from upper-airway inflammation.