Meanings
Spanish influenza1
alternative Spanish Influenza · alternative Spanish flu · alternative Spanish Flu
- uncountablemedicineA form of influenza that spread to nearly every part of the world in a pandemic between 1918 and 1920, killing from 20 to 100 million people.
By systematic organization and effort we have been endeavoring to combat Spanish Influenza in Luzerne County, with its population of 350,000 souls.
1920, Oscar Jewell Harvey, The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918, Pennsylvania: Wilkes-Barre, page 25Synonyms: purulent bronchitis
Spanish Influenza2
- uncountableAlternative letter-case form of Spanish influenza.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA form of influenza that spread to nearly every part of the world in a pandemic between 1918 and 1920, killing from 20 to 100 million people.
Origin
Named after Spain, which reported on the spread of disease as a neutral state while most other countries fighting World War I impose censorship, leading to a mistaken impression that it was concentrated in Spain.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 西班牙流感
- 西班牙流感 (Xībānyá liúgǎn)influenza pandemic
Czech španělská chřipka
- španělská chřipkainfluenza pandemic
Danish spanske syge
- spanske sygeinfluenza pandemic
Dutch Spaanse griep
- Spaanse griepinfluenza pandemic
Esperanto hispana gripo
- hispana gripoinfluenza pandemic
Estonian Hispaania gripp
- Hispaania grippinfluenza pandemic
Finnish espanjantauti
- espanjantautiinfluenza pandemic
German Spanische Grippe
- Spanische Grippeinfluenza pandemic
Hungarian spanyolnátha
- spanyolnáthainfluenza pandemic
Icelandic spænska veikin
- spænska veikininfluenza pandemic
Japanese スペイン風邪, スペインかぜ
- スペイン風邪 (Supein kaze)influenza pandemic
- スペインかぜinfluenza pandemic
Polish hiszpanka
- hiszpankainfluenza pandemic
Portuguese gripe espanhola
- gripe espanholainfluenza pandemic
Russian испа́нка
- испа́нка (ispánka)influenza pandemic
Spanish gripe española, gripe de 1918
- gripe españolainfluenza pandemic
- gripe de 1918influenza pandemic
- gripe de 18influenza pandemic
Swedish spanska sjukan
- spanska sjukaninfluenza pandemic
Cite this entry
Spanish influenza. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spanish%20influenza
“Spanish influenza.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spanish%20influenza. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Spanish influenza,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spanish%20influenza.
Source: Spanish influenza on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.