immunisation

IPA/ˌɪmjuːnaɪzˈeɪʃən/
IPA/ˌɪmjuːnəzˈeɪʃən/

immunisation — noun

1. a medical procedure that protects a person or an animal from a particular infect

1.nounB2
Definition

a medical procedure that protects a person or an animal from a particular infectious disease, usually by putting a vaccine into the body so that it produces antibodies that fight the disease

Example

Before her trip to West Africa, Imani got a yellow fever immunisation at the clinic.

immunisation against [disease]: yellow fever immunisation

The school nurse checked each child's immunisation record before the start of term.

collocation: immunisation record

Common collocations
  • immunisation against
  • immunisation programme
  • immunisation campaign
  • childhood immunisation
  • routine immunisation
Synonyms
  • vaccination

    more specific — refers to receiving a vaccine, whereas immunisation also covers the body's immune response

  • inoculation

    more formal or technical; often used historically for the smallpox vaccine

Grammar Patterns

immunisation against [disease]

immunisation programme / campaign / schedule

Usage Note

In British English this word is spelled with an 's' (immunisation), while in American English it is spelled with a 'z' (immunization). The verb 'immunise' follows the same pattern. This sense is the primary meaning; for legal or metaphorical protection, the word 'immunity' is more common.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave me an immunisation against flu.
The doctor gave me an immunisation against the flu.
Disease names typically require a definite article in this construction.

2. official protection from being affected by a law, a legal duty, or an unwanted s

2.nounC1
Definition

official protection from being affected by a law, a legal duty, or an unwanted situation, especially in a formal context

Example

The charity claimed immunisation from local business rates because of its non-profit status.

A contract clause granted the builder immunisation against liability for weather-related delays.

formal register: immunisation from / against [obligation]

Common collocations
  • immunisation from
  • immunisation against
Synonyms
  • immunity

    the standard term for legal or official protection, far more common than 'immunisation' in this sense

  • exemption

    focuses on being free from an obligation rather than from legal liability

Grammar Patterns

immunisation from [obligation / liability]

Usage Note

This sense is much rarer than the medical sense. In most legal contexts the word 'immunity' is preferred over 'immunisation'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Immunisation', 'vaccination', and 'inoculation' all refer to protecting people from disease, but they differ in scope. 'Vaccination' is the most specific: it means receiving a vaccine — a substance made from a weakened or dead germ — usually by injection. 'Inoculation' is a broader historical term that originally referred to deliberately exposing someone to a mild form of a disease (especially smallpox) to build immunity; today it is often used interchangeably with 'vaccination' but sounds more technical or old-fashioned. 'Immunisation' is the broadest of the three: it refers both to the act of receiving a vaccine and to the body's full process of developing antibodies afterwards. For example: 'The nurse gave the child a polio vaccination.' 'The history of inoculation dates back to 10th-century China.' 'The government's immunisation programme cut the rate of measles by 90 percent.'

vaccination ↗inoculation ↗immunisation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • course of immunisation
  • childhood immunisation
  • routine immunisation
  • mass immunisation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'immunis' (meaning 'exempt from public service', from 'in-' = not + 'munus' = duty / obligation) plus the suffix '-isation'. The medical sense — protecting the body from disease — developed in the late 19th century after Louis Pasteur and others showed that vaccines could create resistance to infection.