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common cold

common cold

17 1.1
A mild virus infection of the nose and throat that causes a runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən koʊld/
translation icon : resfriado
  • The common cold is often accompanied by symptoms like sneezing and a runny nose.
  • cure for the common cold

You know, anything from from the common cold to Ebola, right?

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Examples

  • Nor did it work on the common cold.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The flu is more serious than the common cold, so do everything you can to prevent it.

    Blog text (32)
  • In this place, we live in fear of the common cold.

  • "The first symptoms are those of a common cold."

  • No one in my family has ever used the ER for a common cold.

    Blog text (33)
  • Samuel went to his doctor complaining of common cold symptoms.

    Academic text (2008)
  • It was reported today that a cure for the common cold is very close.

  • The oldest age group, children in the eighth grade, suffered most often from the common cold at the time of examination.

    Academic text (1998)
  • We know that most people recover (for example) from the common cold without any treatment.

    Blog text (14)
  • What can a person do to avoid contracting the common cold or pneumonia?

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

cold
vscommon cold
171 1.0

A common virus infection of the nose and throat

is the same infection but stresses that the lungs are not affected
head cold
vscommon cold
5 1.8

A mild viral sickness that makes your nose stuffy, causes sneezing, and may give you a headache

is more about nose and throat symptoms like runny nose and sore throat
nasopharyngitis
vscommon cold
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Swelling and irritation of the area behind the nose and above the throat that causes cold symptoms

is the everyday name for the same illness rather than a technical term

How Severe

Ebola
  • Specialized
4.8
SARS
  • Specialized
69 3.7
camel flu
  • Specialized
6.7
flu
354 1.0
common cold
17 1.1

Surface Forms

common cold singular
common colds plural

Morphology

common + cold

The meaning 'a mild viral infection' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'cold' (an illness) with 'common' (frequently occurring or typical); the adjective simply specifies the type of cold. This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun common cold may come from the simple idea that the illness is both common, very usual, and linked to cold weather. Long ago people noticed runny noses and sneezing more in winter and thought cold air made you 'sick', so they called these everyday sniffles the cold. That's why common cold now means a mild, ordinary illness of the nose and throat.