SENSITISATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sensitisation mean? 

• SENSITISATION (noun)
  The noun SENSITISATION has 3 senses:

1. the state of being sensitive (as to an antigen)

2. (psychology) the process of becoming highly sensitive to specific events or situations (especially emotional events or situations)

3. rendering an organism sensitive to a serum by a series of injections

  Familiarity information: SENSITISATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SENSITISATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being sensitive (as to an antigen)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

sensitisation; sensitization

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

predisposition; sensitivity (susceptibility to a pathogen)

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

irritation ((pathology) abnormal sensitivity to stimulation)

Derivation:

sensitise (make sensitive to a drug or allergen)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(psychology) the process of becoming highly sensitive to specific events or situations (especially emotional events or situations)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

sensitisation; sensitization

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

physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)

Domain category:

psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Rendering an organism sensitive to a serum by a series of injections

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

sensitisation; sensitising; sensitization; sensitizing

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

immunisation; immunization (the act of making immune (especially by inoculation))

Derivation:

sensitise (make sensitive to a drug or allergen)

 Context examples 

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitisation to allergens has been shown to be associated with increased risk of allergic diseases and asthma.

(New Approach to Predict Respiratory Allergy in Early Childhood, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Medical University of Vienna have used a novel approach to identify which specific allergens can predict the transition from IgE sensitisation in early childhood to the development of respiratory allergy later in life.

(New Approach to Predict Respiratory Allergy in Early Childhood, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)