IMMUNITY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does immunity mean? 

• IMMUNITY (noun)
  The noun IMMUNITY has 4 senses:

1. the state of not being susceptible

2. (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease

3. the quality of being unaffected by something

4. an act exempting someone

  Familiarity information: IMMUNITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMMUNITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of not being susceptible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

immunity; unsusceptibility

Context example:

unsusceptibility to rust

Hypernyms ("immunity" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "immunity"):

exemption; freedom (immunity from an obligation or duty)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

immunity; resistance

Hypernyms ("immunity" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Domain category:

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "immunity"):

immunogenicity (the property of eliciting an immune response)

acquired immunity (immunity to a particular disease that is not innate but has been acquired during life; immunity can be acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease or by a pregnant mother passing antibodies through the placenta to a fetus or by vaccination)

innate immunity; natural immunity (immunity to disease that occurs as part of an individual's natural biologic makeup)

Derivation:

immune (relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection))

immune (relating to the condition of immunity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The quality of being unaffected by something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

immunity to criticism

Hypernyms ("immunity" is a kind of...):

invulnerability (the property of being invulnerable; the property of being incapable of being hurt (physically or emotionally))

Derivation:

immune ((usually followed by 'to') not affected by a given influence)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An act exempting someone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

exemption; granting immunity; immunity

Context example:

he was granted immunity from prosecution

Hypernyms ("immunity" is a kind of...):

discharge; release; waiver (a formal written statement of relinquishment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "immunity"):

fix (an exemption granted after influence (e.g., money) is brought to bear)

official immunity (personal immunity accorded to a public official from liability to anyone injured by actions that are the consequence of exerting official authority)

sovereign immunity (an exemption that precludes bringing a suit against the sovereign government without the government's consent)

testimonial immunity; use immunity (an exemption that displaces the privilege against self-incrimination; neither compelled testimony or any fruits of it can be used against the witness who therefore can no longer fear self-incrimination)

Derivation:

immune (secure against)

 Context examples 

This gene plays a role in cell-mediated immunity and macrophage function.

(MIF Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in maintenance of T cell immunity.

(CD27 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

CCL18 allele may also be involved in B cell migration into lymph node follicles as well as humoral and cell-mediated immunity.

(CCL18 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) (phenylpyruvate tautomerase) protein, is involved in cell-mediated immunity, immunoregulation, and inflammation.

(MIF wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Mucosal immunity promotes resistance toward bacteria, viruses, and parasites in these ports of entry into the body.

(Mucosal Immunity, NCI Thesaurus)

Lymphoid cells concerned with humoral immunity.

(Murine B-Lymphocytes, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

This vaccine also provides active immunization and protective immunity against CMV infection in CMV-negative patients.

(Multi-peptide CMV-Modified Vaccinia Ankara Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein is involved in both proteolysis and immunity.

(Cathepsin L1, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in proteolysis, immunity and the regulation of apoptosis.

(Cathepsin B, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes complement C1q subcomponent subunit A protein, is involved in the initiation of complement-mediated immunity.

(C1QA wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)