Allergies
/ˈælərdʒiz/
nounIntermediate🔥Very CommonMedical
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
A damaging immune response by the body to a normally harmless substance.
/ˈælərdʒiz/
nounneutralIntermediate
Medical
A hypersensitivity disorder
My allergies are acting up today.
💡 Simply: A reaction to something that shouldn't cause a problem.
More Examples
2
He has a severe allergy to peanuts.
How It's Used
Medical
"She suffers from several allergies, including pollen and pet dander."
From French *allergie*, coined in 1906 by Clemens von Pirquet, combining *allergy* (altered) + *-ie* (suffix). Derived from the concept of altered reactivity.
The term 'allergy' gained prominence in the early 20th century with advances in immunology.
Memory tip
Think 'allergic reaction' – an altered reaction to something.
Word Origin
LanguageFrench
Original meaning
"altered reactivity"
Base: allergy
allergic reactionseasonal allergiesfood allergiesallergy test
Common misspellings
alergiesalrgeriesalergys
Practice
Usage
60%Spoken
40%Written