vaccine

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A substance given to people or animals to protect them from a particular disease.

   Scientists developed a vaccine to fight the new virus.

The noun is probably partly: * derived from vaccine (adjective) (see etymology 1); and * borrowed from French vaccine (“cowpox (short for variole vaccine); vaccination against smallpox using material from cowpox”), vaccin (“cowpox material used for smallpox vaccination”), both noun uses of vaccin (adjective), from Latin vaccīnus (see etymology 1). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian vaccina * Portuguese vacina * Spanish vacuna

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