Allergy Definition
ălər-jē
allergies
noun
allergies
An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens, foods, or microorganisms. Common indications of allergy may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes.
American Heritage
A hypersensitivity to a specific substance (such as a food, pollen, dust, etc.) or condition (as heat or cold) which in similar amounts or degrees is harmless to most people: it is manifested in a physiological disorder.
Webster's New World
An adverse sentiment; antipathy.
An allergy to cocktail parties.
American Heritage
A strong aversion.
Webster's New World
A condition in which exposure to a substance, such as pollen, latex, animal dander, or a particular food or drug, causes an overreaction by the immune system that results in symptoms such as sneezing, itching, rash, and difficulty breathing or swallowing.
American Heritage Medicine
Synonyms:
- allergic reaction
- passibility
- oversensibility
- hyperpathia
- supersensitivity
- sensitization
- photophobia
- anaphylaxis
- hay-fever
- sensitivity
- hypersensitivity
Other Word Forms of Allergy
Noun
Singular:
allergyPlural:
allergiesOrigin of Allergy
-
From German Allergie. Coined by Austrian pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet in 1906 from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (allos, “other”) + ἔργον (ergon, “work, activity”), on the model of Energie.
From Wiktionary
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German Allergie Greek allos other allo– Greek ergon action werg- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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