1776, from Fr.
grippe "influenza," originally "seizure," from
gripper "to grasp, hook," of Frank. origin, from P.Gmc.
*gripanan (see
grip). Supposedly in reference to constriction of the throat felt by sufferers; the word spread through European languages after the influenza epidemic during the Rus. occupation of Prussia in the Seven Years' War (c.1760).
[grip] 
