Vaccinator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person qualified to provide immunizations in order to prevent illness
2. An individual skilled in administering vaccines for the purpose of health protection
3. Someone who gives vaccines to people to help protect them against diseases

Etymology: Edward Jenner's smallpox work is the story behind this word, though the word itself came later and was built from a much older chain of parts. "Vaccine" comes from the Latin "vacca," meaning cow, because Jenner's method used material from cowpox lesions. From that base English formed "vaccinate," and the agent suffix "-or," which passed into English through Old French from Latin "-tor," gives the person who carries out the procedure. The suffix explains how the word works. Latin "-tor" marked the doer of an action, and it entered English largely through French, which is why "vaccinator" follows the same pattern as words like "creator" or "narrator." The verb came first, and this noun is simply the person who performs it.

Synonyms: immunizer, vaccinologist, health worker, clinician, inoculator