Allergens

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Substances that induce hypersensitivity and allergic reactions in certain individuals
2. Agents that provoke immune system responses resulting in allergy-related symptoms
3. Materials that trigger the body's immune system to respond abnormally, leading to allergy symptoms

Etymology: "Allergen" is a modern coinage, built from pieces of Greek rather than inherited from it. Its first half, "aller-", comes from "allergy," which was itself coined in 1906 by the Austrian pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet from Greek "allos" (other) and "ergon" (work, action), meaning a changed or altered reaction to a substance. The second half, "-gen," comes from Greek "genos" (origin, kind) through the suffix "-gen," which was already used in English for substances that produce a result. The word itself was formed by shortening "allergy" and adding "-gen," following the pattern of "pathogen" and "antigen." That is why "allergen" looks Greek without ever having appeared in any ancient text. The term describes the trigger rather than the reaction, so it names the pollen or peanut protein that sets off the immune response, not the response itself.

Synonyms: irritants