immunogen
UK[ɪˈmjuːnədʒən]US[ɪˈmjuːnədʒən]
n
A substance that can produce an immune response when introduced into the body.
Morpheme Breakdown
immuno
gen
immuno
immune
gen
producing
Etymology
The word immunogen is a modern scientific compound, formed in the early 20th century by combining two classical roots. The first part, 'immuno-', derives from the Latin immunis, which originally described a legal status of being exempt from taxes or public duties. This concept of exemption was metaphorically extended in the 19th century to describe biological resistance to disease. The second part, '-gen', originates from the Greek suffix -genēs, meaning "born of" or "producing." Therefore, an immunogen is literally "that which produces immunity," a substance that triggers the body's defensive system to generate a state of protection against a specific pathogen.
Analysis
Structure: immuno (immune) + gen (producing)
immuno (from Latin immunis, meaning "exempt, free from public service"; in modern biology, relating to the immune system) + gen (from Greek -genēs, meaning "born of, produced by").
Examples
The vaccine contains a weakened immunogen that safely teaches the body to recognize the virus.
Scientists are studying the protein to determine if it is a potent immunogen for a new malaria vaccine.
Not all antigens are strong immunogens; some may fail to provoke a sufficient immune response.