COVID-19
|co-vid-19|
🇺🇸
/ˌkoʊvɪd ˈnaɪntiːn/
🇬🇧
/ˌkəʊvɪd ˈnaɪntiːn/
disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (2019)
Etymology
'COVID-19' originates from an abbreviation coined by the World Health Organization: 'CO' from 'corona', 'VI' from 'virus', 'D' from 'disease', and '19' referring to 2019, the year the disease was first identified.
'COVID-19' replaced earlier provisional names such as '2019-nCoV' and 'novel coronavirus' when the WHO announced the official name on 11 February 2020.
Initially it meant 'the disease caused by the novel coronavirus identified in 2019'; over time its usage broadened to refer also to the pandemic, public-health event, and social/economic impacts associated with that disease.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, first identified in 2019.
She tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Synonyms
Noun 2
informal/extended usage: the global outbreak or pandemic associated with that disease, or the social and economic effects of that outbreak.
COVID-19 disrupted international travel and economies.
Synonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/12/03 08:56