croup¹

[kroop] /krup/

noun, Pathology

any condition of the larynx or trachea characterized by a hoarse cough and difficult breathing.

Origin

1755-65; noun use of croup to cry hoarsely (now dial.), blend of croak and whoop

croup²

[kroop] /krup/

noun

the highest part of the rump of a quadruped, especially a horse.

Origin

1250-1300; Middle English croupe < Middle French, Anglo-French crupe, Old French crope < Germanic; see crop

Examples from the web for croup

When he was seven he suffered from croup and choking fits and even in his sleep had nightmares about suffocation.
croup is an infection of the airway commonly caused by a virus.
croup causes swelling around vocal cords and airways.
croup is an immune response of the lower respiratory tract to infection with the same viruses that cause colds.

British Dictionary definitions for croup

croup¹

/kruːp/

noun

a throat condition, occurring usually in children, characterized by a hoarse cough and laboured breathing, resulting from inflammation and partial obstruction of the larynx

Derived Forms

croupous, croupy, adjective

Word Origin

C16 croup to cry hoarsely, probably of imitative origin

croup²

/kruːp/

noun

the hindquarters of a quadruped, esp a horse

Word Origin

C13: from Old French croupe; related to German Kruppe

Word Origin and History for croup

"coughing illness," 1765, from obsolete verb croup "to cry hoarsely, croak" (1510s), probably echoic. This was the local name of the disease in southeastern Scotland, given wide currency by Dr. Francis Home (1719-1813) of Edinburgh in his 1765 article on it. Related: Croupy.

croup in Medicine

croup (krōōp)
n.

See laryngotracheobronchitis.
A pathological condition of the larynx, especially in infants and children, characterized by respiratory difficulty and a hoarse, brassy cough.

croup'ous (krōō'pəs) or croup'y adj.

croup in Science

croup

(krp)
An acute infection that affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts, especially the larynx, trachea, and bronchi, and is caused most commonly by viruses of the genus Paramyxovirus. It is characterized by labored breathing and obstruction below the glottis, accompanied by a barking cough.