The word "croup" comes from the Early Modern English verb "croup," meaning "to cry hoarsely"; the name was first used for the disease in Scotland. Diphtheritic croup has been known since the time of Homer's Ancient Greece. In 1826, Bretonneau distinguished croup from a virus and croup due to diphtheria. The French called croup from a virus "faux-croup," using "croup" for a disease caused by the diphtheria bacteria. Croup due to diphtheria has become nearly unknown since most people are immunized.