Definition of Summer cold

1. The Common Cold Slideshow Pictures
2. Slideshow: Treating Your Child's Cold or Fever
3. Take the Cold & Flu Quiz

Summer cold: A popular term for hay fever. Although the symptoms of a "summer cold" may be similar to those of a real cold, the term "summer cold" is a misnomer. Unlike a real cold, it is not caused by a virus but by allergy. It is therefore also called allergic rhinitis, a runny nose due to an allergy.