immunodeficiency
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of immunodeficiency
First recorded in 1970–75; immuno- + deficiency
Explanation
When someone's body can't protect itself from infection the way it should, they suffer from an immunodeficiency. Many patients being treated for cancer have immunodeficiencies. Your immune system is the network of cells that works to fight infection throughout your body, and when it isn't functioning well, the result is immunodeficiency. The word is rooted in the Latin immunis, "exempt," and deficere, "to fail." In other words, immunodeficiency is a failure of the system that keeps you free from infections and illness. Various diseases, genetic conditions, and medications can result in this risky situation.
Vocabulary lists containing immunodeficiency
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.
Immunodeficiency increases an individual's susceptibility to infections and cancers.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Susan Walsh, chief executive of Immunodeficiency UK, said those affected by immunodeficiency may not want to disclose their condition.
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2022
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus - the immunodeficiency is the weakening of the immune system by the virus.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2021
Common Variable Immunodeficiency affects roughly 1 in 30,000, but most cases aren’t diagnosed until a person reaches 20 or 30.
From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2019
It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but you know it as “bubble baby disease.”
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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.
