adjuvant

[aj-uh-vuhnt]

adjective

1. serving to help or assist; auxiliary.

   You'll be serving in an adjuvant capacity, on call if we need you.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  utilizing drugs, radiation therapy, or other means of supplemental treatment following cancer surgery or other primary cancer treatment.

   The cancer was caught at such an early stage that adjuvant measures were determined to be unnecessary.

noun

1. a person or thing that aids or helps.

   a team of adjuvants.

2. Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology.,  anything that aids in the treatment of disease, management of pain, etc., especially a substance added to a medication to aid the effect of the main ingredient.

   For some in acute pain, caffeine is an effective analgesic adjuvant.

3. Immunology.,  a substance admixed with an immunogen in order to elicit a more marked immune response.

   Aluminum salts have been used as adjuvants in vaccines for many decades.

adjuvant

/ ˈædʒəvənt /

adjective

1. aiding or assisting

noun

1. something that aids or assists; auxiliary

2. med a drug or other substance that enhances the activity of another

3. immunol a substance that enhances the immune response stimulated by an antigen when injected with the antigen

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjuvant¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin adjuvant- (stem of adjuvāns, adjective use of present participle of adjuvāre ), equivalent to prefix ad- + juv- (stem of juvāre “to help”) + -ant; ad- ( def. ), aid, -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjuvant¹

C17: from Latin adjuvāns, present participle of adjuvāre, from juvāre to help

Example Sentences

The study claimed to find a strong correlation between the use in vaccines of aluminum adjuvants and rising autism in the 1980s and 1990s.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It suggests aluminum adjuvants could be behind the rise in autism cases.

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Vaccines -- regardless the target disease -- contain two primary components: The antigen and the adjuvant.

Read more on Science Daily

The new vaccine combines the traditional pertussis antigens with an innovative adjuvant called T-vant, which boosts the body's immune response specifically in the respiratory tract.

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It’s the princess’ first official engagement since she concluded adjuvant chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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