What does grippe mean?
Grippe is an older term for influenza, an acute viral illness that commonly produces fever, chills, aches, fatigue, cough, and other respiratory symptoms. It has long been particularly associated with epidemics and severe outbreaks, and historical writing often uses it for major influenza waves. In present-day British English, however, “flu” is the normal conversational term, while “influenza” is preferred in medical and formal contexts. Grippe is now chiefly encountered in older books, historical accounts, or deliberately traditional-sounding prose, though it remains readily intelligible to English speakers. The word was borrowed from French, where it developed from a verb meaning to seize or grip. Its history therefore gives it an unusually suggestive quality: an illness that spreads through a community can metaphorically be said to “take hold,” just as grippe ultimately derives from language associated with seizing.
nounAn acute infectious viral illness affecting the respiratory system, especially influenza. The term is now uncommon in modern British usage, where “flu” is generally preferred.
- The viral respiratory illness now generally called influenza, especially when referring to an outbreak or epidemic.
"An outbreak of grippe forced the school to close for a week."
"The doctor diagnosed him with grippe and advised him to rest."
"Contemporary accounts described the widespread death caused by the influenza epidemic of 1918."
The plural is rare in modern English, which generally treats grippe as a mass noun and uses “cases of influenza” or “outbreaks of flu.”
"Several grippes occurred in the region during that winter."
Grippe comes from a French word meaning “to seize,” fittingly suggesting an illness that takes hold of a population.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does grippe come from?
Grippe was borrowed from French grippe, a word associated with gripping or seizing and ultimately related to the sense of grasp. English usage developed in the late eighteenth century, especially in references to influenza epidemics. The French source and its English relatives include forms such as grip, gripper, gripped, and gripping.
How grippe is actually used
Grippe is chiefly British and sounds formal, dated, or historical in modern English. It is also understood in American English, although “flu” and “influenza” are much more common everyday terms.
Easily confused with grippe
A grip is a firm hold or grasp, whereas grippe is the older term for influenza or flu.