vaccine

[vak-seen, vak-seen, -sin]

noun

1. any preventive preparation used to stimulate the body’s immune response against a specific disease, using either messenger RNA or killed or weakened bacteria or viruses to prepare the body to recognize a disease and produce antibodies.

2. (no longer in technical use) the virus of cowpox, used in vaccination, obtained from pox vesicles of a cow or person.

3. a software program that helps to protect against computer viruses, as by detecting them and warning the user.

adjective

1. of or relating to vaccination.

2. of or relating to vaccinia.

3. of, relating to, or derived from cows.

vaccine

/ ˈvæksiːn /

noun

1. a suspension of dead, attenuated, or otherwise modified microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, or rickettsiae) for inoculation to produce immunity to a disease by stimulating the production of antibodies

2. (originally) a preparation of the virus of cowpox taken from infected cows and inoculated in humans to produce immunity to smallpox

3. (modifier) of or relating to vaccination or vaccinia

4. computing a piece of software designed to detect and remove computer viruses from a system

vaccine

1. A preparation of a weakened or killed pathogen, such as a bacterium or virus, or of a portion of the pathogen's structure, that stimulates immune cells to recognize and attack it, especially through antibody production. Most vaccines are given orally or by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection.

2. See Note at Jenner

vaccine

1. A substance prepared from dead or living microorganisms that is introduced into the body through inoculation. The vaccine causes the development of antibodies, which produce immunity to the disease caused by the microorganism.

Other Word Forms

• provaccine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaccine¹

< New Latin ( variolae ) vaccīnae cowpox (in title of E. Jenner's treatise of 1798), equivalent to vacc ( a ) cow + -īnae, feminine plural of -īnus -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaccine¹

C18: from New Latin variolae vaccīnae cowpox, title of medical treatise (1798) by Edward Jenner, from Latin vacca a cow

A Closer Look

In the 1950s, polio epidemics left thousands of children with permanent physical disabilities. Today, infants are given a vaccine to prevent infection with the polio virus. That vaccine, like most others, works by stimulating the body's immune system to produce antibodies that destroy pathogens. Scientists usually prepare vaccines by taking a sample of the pathogen and destroying or weakening it with heat or chemicals. The inactivated or attenuated pathogen loses its ability to cause serious illness but is still able to stimulate antibody production, thereby conferring immunity. The Salk polio vaccine contains “killed” virus, while the Sabin polio vaccine contains weakened “live” poliovirus. (Many scientists no longer consider viruses to be living organisms) Scientists are also able to change the structure of viruses and bacteria at the molecular level, altering DNA so that the potential of the vaccine to cause disease is decreased. New vaccines containing harmless bits of DNA have also been developed.

Example Sentences

It was Kennedy's record on vaccines which particularly worried many public health experts when he took office in February.

From BBC

Polls show that a majority of the president’s Republican voters support vaccines.

From Los Angeles Times

Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania took steps this week so that people wouldn’t have to get prescriptions to get their COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy.

From Los Angeles Times

At the hearing, Kennedy stood by his decision to cut US$500 million in HHS funding for 22 research contracts on mRNA vaccine technology.

From Salon

The letter accused Kennedy of stacking the agency with “political ideologues” and manipulating data on vaccine effectiveness.

From Salon

Related Words

• antibiotic 
• cure 
• drug 
• medication 
• pharmaceutical 
• pill 
• prescription 
• remedy 

When To Use

What does vaccine mean?

A vaccine is a substance introduced into someone’s body to prevent them from getting a specific disease. It usually consists of a small amount of a killed, weakened, or otherwise modified version of a disease (such as a virus or bacterium).Vaccines work by allowing your immune system to develop defenses against that disease, called antibodies, so they can destroy it if it ever enters your body again.Common vaccines include ones for strains of the flu, polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella. There are many others.Example: The polio vaccine has saved millions of people.