Inoculated Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations
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inoculated
[ษชหnษkjสหleษชtษชd ]
Definition
medical procedure
To inoculate means to introduce a vaccine or antigen into the body to provide immunity against a specific disease. This procedure is crucial in preventive medicine, allowing individuals to build resistance to various infectious diseases. Inoculation can involve the injection of a live or killed pathogen, or a portion of it, to stimulate the immune response. It has been a significant public health measure to combat outbreaks and maintain population health.
Synonyms
immunized, protected, vaccinated.
Examples of usage
- Doctors inoculated children against measles.
- The clinic offers services to inoculate travelers.
- She was inoculated for influenza last winter.
Translations
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Origin of 'inoculated'
The term 'inoculate' originates from the Latin word 'inoculare', which means 'to graft' or 'to implant'. The use of inoculation as a method to prevent disease dates back to ancient practices where materials from infected individuals were introduced into healthy ones. The practice gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the advent of variolation, a method of stimulating immunity by exposing individuals to material from smallpox lesions. The modern understanding of inoculation was shaped by Edward Jenner's development of the smallpox vaccine in 1796, marking the beginning of the practice of vaccination as we know it today. Over the years, the term has evolved to encompass various forms of immunization techniques aimed at enhancing the body's defense mechanisms against a wide array of pathogens.