Coqueluche

/ˈkoʊkəluːʃ/ noun

Definition

A fashionable craze or object of widespread admiration; a person or thing that is the object of popular enthusiasm or 'in vogue'; from French, literally whooping cough.

Etymology

From French coqueluche (whooping cough), transferred metaphorically to mean something 'contagious' in popularity; emerged in 19th-century French and English social commentary.

Kelly Says

Coqueluche captures something fascinating about fashion and trends—it literally comes from whooping cough, a contagious disease, because fashionable crazes spread from person to person like infection, making the disease name perfect for describing viral trends.

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