inoculation

US /ɪˌnɑːkjəˈleɪʃən/ UK /ɪˌnɒkjʊˈleɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the action of immunizing someone against a disease by introducing infective material, microorganisms, or vaccine into the body

The inoculation protected the children against measles.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the action of immunizing... immunizationvaccination injection jab shot

Etymology

From Latin inoculare ('to graft, implant'), from in- ('into') + oculus ('eye, bud'); originally a horticultural term for grafting a bud, later extended in Modern English to inoculation ('introducing material into the body to confer immunity').

Topics

Materials & Substances Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# inoculation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪˌnɑːkjəˈleɪʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˌnɒkjʊˈleɪʃən/

## Meanings
1. the action of immunizing someone against a disease by introducing infective material, microorganisms, or vaccine into the body

## Examples
- The inoculation protected the children against measles.

## Synonyms
- immunization
- vaccination
- injection
- jab
- shot

## Etymology
From Latin inoculare ('to graft, implant'), from in- ('into') + oculus ('eye, bud'); originally a horticultural term for grafting a bud, later extended in Modern English to inoculation ('introducing material into the body to confer immunity').

## AI Etymology
Inoculation comes from Latin inoculare ('to graft, implant'), from in- ('into') + oculus ('eye, bud'); originally a horticultural term for grafting a bud, later extended in Modern English to inoculation ('introducing material into the body to confer immunity'). In current use it is a noun meaning "the action of immunizing someone against a disease by introducing infective material, microorganisms, or vaccine into the body". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The semantic development is therefore important as well as the form: the word moves from the older concrete, technical, or literal setting into the present figurative or specialized sense.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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