Immunogenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A feature of a substance that triggers the immune system's response
2. Having the property to stimulate the body's immune defenses against foreign substances
3. Describing a substance that can induce a defensive reaction from immune cells

Etymology: "Immunogenic" is a plain technical formation: "immuno-" joined to the suffix "-genic." The first part, "immuno-," is a combining form built from "immune" (from Latin "immunis," exempt from public service or duties), used in modern scientific terms for anything relating to the immune system. The second part, "-genic," comes from the Greek "-genēs," meaning "producing" or "born of," and appears in words such as "pathogenic" and "carcinogenic" to mean something that gives rise to a given effect. Put together, the word describes a substance or agent that gives rise to an immune response. A vaccine antigen or a foreign protein is immunogenic if it provokes the body's defenses; the word is a coinage of modern biomedical vocabulary, built from classical parts rather than inherited from ancient usage.

Synonyms: antigenic, immune-stimulating