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tachyphylaxis

American

[tak-uh-fi-lak-sis] / ˌtæk ə fɪˈlæk sɪs /

Also tachyphylaxia

noun

Medicine/Medical. immediate, temporary immunization against the effects of injection of a toxic extract owing to previous small injections of the same extract.
a decreased response to a medicine given over a period of time so that larger doses are required to produce the same response.

tachyphylaxis British

/ ˌtækɪfɪˈlæksɪs /

noun

very rapid development of tolerance or immunity to the effects of a drug

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

tachyphylactic adjective

Etymology

Origin of tachyphylaxis

tachy- + Greek phýlaxis a guarding, equivalent to phylak- (stem of phylássein to guard) + -sis -sis

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.

Some refer to it by its medical term, tachyphylaxis.

From US News

Past depressive episodes. Even patients who regularly take their antidepressants and check in with their doctors aren't immune to tachyphylaxis.

From US News

Experts say they have theories – but no definite evidence – as to why tachyphylaxis occurs.

From US News

Hamburger, cauliflower and walnuts do not cause tachyphylaxis, physical dependency and withdrawal, which are the hallmarks of addiction.

From Scientific American

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023