Vaccination

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌvæk.sɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A method of introducing a vaccine into the body to provoke an immune response and protect against certain infectious diseases
2. The act of delivering a vaccine to enhance an individual's immune defense and mitigate the risk of illness
3. A procedure involving the administration of a vaccine to stimulate the immune system and provide protection against various diseases

Etymology: Edward Jenner, a English country doctor, drew on a folk observation in rural Gloucestershire: milkmaids who had caught cowpox seemed protected from smallpox. In 1796 he tested this by infecting a boy, James Phipps, with material from a cowpox sore and later exposing him to smallpox, with no illness following. Jenner called the cowpox material "vaccinia," from Latin "vaccinus," meaning "of or from cows," itself built on "vacca," cow. Two years later, in 1798, he published his findings, and the word for the procedure, "vaccination," followed from his term for the infection. The word therefore carries a mistake inside it. Jenner believed vaccinia and cowpox were the same condition, and the two are now known to be separate viruses, so the name for the protective agent rests on a belief that was later shown to be wrong. The cow origin of the word remains accurate, though, because the first material came from cattle.

Synonyms: immunization, inoculation, injection

Antonyms: infection, contagion