Latin’s Relevance to COVID-19 — Latin is Ubiquitous!

CORONAVIRUS

Did you know that corōna means crown in Latin? Viruses are named based on their structure. Consequently, coronaviruses received their name from the crown-like spikes located on their surface. When referring to anatomy in English, corona is used to describe any anatomical part that is shaped like a crown.

In Latin, the word virus is defined as a poison, slime, or venom. The English language adopted this term to label an infectious microorganism that invades the living cells of a host.

The combination of the Latin terms corōna and virus led to the derivation of the name of this virus. COVID-19 is the name given to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak that originated from Wuhan, China:

CO stands for corona

VI stands for virus

D stands for disease

19 represents the 2019, which is year of its initial outbreak

QUARANTINE

The word quarantine comes from the Latin word quadrāgintā which means forty. Quarantines were originally used to contain people who have been exposed to a contagious disease for exactly forty days. Overtime, the word quarantine has been used to describe any period of confinement, regardless of the number of days restricted.

ISOLATION

Isolations are used to separate people who are confirmed to have a disease from those who are not infected. The English word isolation ultimately originates from insula, which is the Latin word for island. This term dates back to the Bubonic plague outbreak of the fifteenth century. An island near Venice, known as Santa Maria di Nazaret, was the first hospital solely dedicated to isolate and treat plague victims. The location of this hospital ultimately generated the word isolation in English.

MASKS

The etymology of the English word mask dates back to the Latin word masca which means ghost or nightmare. The Latin evolved into the French word masque which refers to a cover for the face. The English then adopted this word to refer to multiple things that cover the face. Initially, masks were used to hide one’s identity making them appear frightening. Today, people across the world are advised to wear face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Citations:

• https://www.businessinsider.com/where-coronavirus-name-comes-from-2020-1

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/quarantine-and-isolation-difference#:~:text='Quarantine'%20vs%20'Isolation'&text=Isolation%20has%20roots%20in%20the,%22a%20forty%20day%20period.%22

• https://davidporush.com/2020/04/12/what-does-virus-really-mean-a-pandemic-etymology/

• https://www.etymonline.com/word/mask

• https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/mask#:~:text=The%20word%20mask%20is%20most,or%20guard%20for%20the%20face'.