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.
Prof Lambe, the Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, told BBC News: "Once we get starting material to them they can go fast and they can go big."
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Co-author Xavier is a core institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he also directs the Klarman Cell Observatory and the Immunology Program and co-directs the Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program.
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
Earlier work led by Dr. Wang and Professor Tom Gordon, Head of Immunology at SA Pathology in South Australia, decoded the structure of this PF4 antibody in 2022.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
The deal will also accelerate the company’s expansion into nephrology, which began in late 2024 with the acquisition of Human Immunology Biosciences.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Differences in testosterone levels may partly explain why men generally recover faster from pain than women, according to a recent study in the journal Science Immunology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
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.
