immune

B2 Topic:Health & Medicine

US /ɪˈmjuːn/ See IPA manual

Freq #7704

Meanings

1

adj
Protected against a disease, so you cannot catch it.

Once you've had chickenpox, you are usually immune to it for life.
2

adj
Not affected by something that influences others.

She seemed immune to criticism and just kept working.
3

adj
Protected from a duty or punishment that normally applies; exempt.

As a diplomat, he was immune from prosecution.
4

adj
Relating to the body's defense system against disease.

A healthy diet helps support the immune system.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

exempt impenetrable impermeable impervious protected resistantunaffectableunsusceptible

Opposites

affectablenonimmunesusceptible vulnerable

Word family

Derived forms alloimmuneauto-immuneautoimmunechemoimmunecounterimmunecryoimmunedysimmunegastrimmunehematoimmuneheteroimmunehomoimmunehyperimmune

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle French immun, from Latin immūnis (“exempt from public service”), from in- (“not”) + mūnus (“service”).

*mey- (change) Proto-Indo-European immun Middle French immūnis Latin

View etymology graph ->

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# immune

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈmjuːn/
**Frequency rank:** 7704

## Meanings
1. Protected against a disease, so you cannot catch it.
2. Not affected by something that influences others.
3. Protected from a duty or punishment that normally applies; exempt.
4. Relating to the body's defense system against disease.

## Examples
- Once you've had chickenpox, you are usually immune to it for life.
- She seemed immune to criticism and just kept working.
- As a diplomat, he was immune from prosecution.
- A healthy diet helps support the immune system.

## Synonyms
- exempt
- impenetrable
- impermeable
- impervious
- protected
- resistant
- unaffectable
- unsusceptible

## Antonyms
- affectable
- nonimmune
- susceptible
- vulnerable

## Derived Forms
- alloimmune
- auto-immune
- autoimmune
- chemoimmune
- counterimmune
- cryoimmune
- dysimmune
- gastrimmune
- hematoimmune
- heteroimmune
- homoimmune
- hyperimmune

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *mey- (change)
- Root: immun
- Root: immūnis

## Etymology
From Middle English, from Middle French immun, from Latin immūnis (“exempt from public service”), from in- (“not”) + mūnus (“service”).

## AI Etymology
Immune comes from Middle English, from Middle French immun, from Latin immūnis (“exempt from public service”), from in- (“not”) + mūnus (“service”). The historical chain includes *mey- (change) (Proto-Indo-European), immun (Middle French), and immūnis (Latin). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as alloimmune, auto-immune, autoimmune, and chemoimmune. In present use it covers protected against a disease, so you cannot catch it, not affected by something that influences others, and protected from a duty or punishment that normally applies; exempt.

## Topics
- Health & Medicine

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immune

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