This French word is used to talk about either a serious illness – or a very popular person. Confusing.
Why do I need to know coqueluche?
This word refers to a very bad illness but it can also be something else. Confusing the two would be a little awkward.
What does it mean?
The feminine word la coqueluche, roughly pronounced koh-kuh-loosh (listen here), means “whooping cough” – the contagious disease characterised by a violent cough that is most common among children.
There are several theories about the origin of the word coqueluche. The topic has even been examined in depth by Nicole Guiso, former director of the French National Reference Centre (CNR) for whooping cough and other Bordetella infections at the Institut Pasteur.
One theory of the origin of the word coqueluche is that it’s derived from the Latin cucullum, meaning ‘cap’ or ‘hood’. Either because the illness, which primarily affects the head, seems to envelop it like a hood, as J. Sirois wrote in 1586, or because those suffering from whooping cough would protect themselves from the cold by wearing a hood, wrote Guiso.
Another theory suggests that coqueluche refers to the very distinctive sound of the cough/catching breath that sufferers experience (which is also what the English name ‘whooping’ refers to). It may have been derived from coq (rooster), suggesting that it sounds sounds like a rooster’s crow.
In fact, across Europe in the past the disease has often had animal-related names, referred to as tosse d’asino (donkey cough) in Italy, hühnerkrankheit (chicken disease) in Germany. An old-fashioned French term for it was chant du coq (rooster’s crow) in France.
Another theory links the word to the flower coquelicot (poppy), as syrup made from this plant was used as a cough remedy in the 16th and 17th centuries.
But away from talking about serious illness, the word also has a second, more figurative meaning to describe someone very popular, admired by everyone, a “fan favourite” or a “darling”.
It can be used in a lot of different contexts, but you’ll see it in the media to talk about a singer, an actor, or a politician – it’s unclear how a serious illness came to be used in such a positive context, although it may be linked to the idea of fame or popularity being contagious.
Use it like this
Il a attrapé la coqueluche, il est très malade. – He caught whooping cough, he is very sick.
Ce jeune acteur est devenu la coqueluche des médias. – This young actor has become the media’s favourite.
News headline: Bally Bagayoko, la nouvelle coqueluche de la gauche de rupture. (Le Soir) – Bally Bagayoko, the new favourite of the far left.
