immunization

/ɪmjunɪˈzeɪʃən/

/ɪmjunaɪˈzeɪʃən/

Other forms: immunizations

Immunization is the process of getting a shot that boosts your body's defenses against a certain disease. Before international travel, you may need to get additional immunizations.

Strictly speaking, immunization is action of stimulating your immune system to fight off infection, with the help of a vaccine. You can also use immunization interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation, so you might say, "While I was at the doctor, I went ahead and got my flu immunization." The word comes from immune, "exempt from disease," and its Latin root, which means "exempt."

Definitions of immunization

1. noun

   the act of making immune (especially by inoculation)
   synonyms: immunisation

   types:

   inoculation, vaccination

   taking a vaccine as a precaution against contracting a disease

   sensitisation, sensitising, sensitization, sensitizing

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

   type of:

   protection

   the activity of protecting someone or something