New words – 22 January 2024

close-up of a woman sneezing into a paper tissue, illustrating the concept of autumn sneezing syndrome
Peter Dazeley / The Image Bank / Getty

autumn sneezing syndrome noun [U]
UK /ˌɔː.təm ˈsniːzɪŋ ˌsɪn.drəʊm/ US /ˌɑː.t̬ᵊm ˈsniːzɪŋ ˌsɪn.droʊm/
an allergy caused by pollen that people are most likely to suffer from during autumn

“Autumn sneezing syndrome” is on the rise as allergies become more common, an expert has said. The increasing number of cases is said to be caused by shifting pollen levels as well as an invasive plant called ragweed, a primary contributor to hay fever symptoms.
[telegraph.co.uk, 12 November 2023]

See also hay fever

quadrupledemic noun [C]
UK /kwɒdˈruː.pᵊlˌdem.ɪk/ US /kwɑːˈdruː.pᵊlˌdem.ɪk/
the widespread outbreak of Covid-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus at the same time

Cold and flu viruses slowed to a trickle during the early part of the Covid pandemic only to blast through human populations this year. Some public health experts have called it a “tripledemic,” but it might even be described as a quadrupledemic. In the Northern Hemisphere, flu began surging in October, months before its normal season. This year has also seen a steep, early rise in two other viruses, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and adenovirus.
[bloomberg.com, 23 November 2022]

See also tripledemic

long cold noun [C]
UK /ˌlɒŋ ˈkəʊld/ US /ˌlɑːŋ ˈkoʊld/
a condition in which the effects and symptoms of a cold continue for several weeks or months

People can suffer from “long colds” and feel under the weather for weeks after initial symptoms such as sneezing have gone, research has shown … It revealed that the “long Covid” phenomenon applied to most respiratory illnesses, including the common cold.
[thetimes.co.uk, 7 October 2023]

See also long Covid

About new words

7 thoughts on “New words – 22 January 2024

  1. We often talk about postviral syndromes.

    When I was wondering why “long cold” had not been in there for a long time…

    Quadrupledemic does seem like an awkward word.
    What about quademic?

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