immunology
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immunology
Explanation
Immunology is the science of body systems that protect against infection. It's thanks to immunology that we're able to treat and prevent so many diseases today. Immunology is formed by adding the suffix -ology, or "science," to immune, or "exempt from a disease." Scientists and doctors who specialize in immunology study the way our immune systems function (and sometimes malfunction) as they work to defend us from viruses and bacteria. Immunologists are also instrumental in creating vaccines against new diseases and promising treatments like cancer immunotherapy, which boost the patient's own immune system.
Vocabulary lists containing immunology
Microbiology - High School
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Microbiology - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"For a long time, the study of immunology and disease in humans was concentrated on the blood immune cells," Sunwoo said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Historically, much of immunology has centered on immune cells circulating in the bloodstream, including B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Politicians are now asking how Britain - the country of Edward Jenner, the "father of immunology" - could have allowed its immunisation rates to drop so low, and what could fix it.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
AbbVie last month agreed to buy Apogee for about $10.9 billion, bolstering its core immunology franchise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, who once calculated that he’s grown about 800 billion HeLa cells for his own research, says that restricting HeLa cell use would be disastrous.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
