immune-system

The term "immune-system" is a modern scientific compound, formed in the 20th century by combining two classical elements. The adjective "immune" originates from the Latin immunis, which historically described someone exempt from civic duties or taxes, a concept of being "free from" burdens. This notion of exemption was metaphorically extended in medical science to describe biological protection from disease. It was then coupled with "system," a word of Greek origin denoting an organized assembly of interacting components. Thus, the compound logically constructs the concept of the body's integrated defensive network, an organized "system" dedicated to achieving a state of being "immune."

Structure: immune (protected) + system (organized set) - immune: From Latin immunis (exempt from public service, free), via French. In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning "resistant to or protected from a disease." - system: From Late Latin systema, from Greek sustēma (a whole composed of several parts), from syn- (together) + histanai (to set, to stand). In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning "a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole."