Common viral infections affecting the nose, throat, and sinuses, causing symptoms like sneezing, congestion, and sore throat. Plural of cold.
From Old English ceald meaning 'cold temperature'. The connection between cold weather and illness led to this usage by the 16th century, though we now know viruses, not temperature, cause these infections.
Despite the name, you can't actually catch a cold from being cold - the association arose because cold weather drives people indoors where viruses spread more easily in close quarters. The rhinovirus doesn't care about temperature!
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