Vax

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /væks/

Definitions

1. A substance intended to evoke an immune response is delivered to prevent disease
2. A preparation introduced into the body to stimulate immunity against specific infections
3. A biological agent used to trigger the body's defense mechanisms to fight off illnesses

Etymology: "Vax" is a clipping of "vaccine," "vaccination," or "vaccinate," respelled phonetically so it sounds like the stem of those words. The shortened form takes the familiar Latin-derived root "vacca" (cow) and its descendants in "vaccine" and "vaccinate" and trims them down to a single syllable spoken as /væks/. The shortening is a simple case of how English speakers often trim long technical words in everyday talk, and the respelling with "x" makes the sound of the first syllable plain on the page. The result is a word that works as both a noun for the injection itself and a verb for giving one, which is why it appears in both roles in everyday use.

Synonyms: vaccine, immunization, inoculation

Antonyms: infection, disease