• vaccinate •
Pronunciation: vak-sê-neyt • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Transitive verb
Meaning: To inject an antigen, such as a dead bacteria or a mild virus, into someone to create antibodies that will protect the vacinee from disease caused by the antigen. The antigen, together with its liquid medium, is called a vaccine.
Notes: This word is interesting on two accounts: its etymology (see below) and the fact that it contains two back-to-back Cs pronounced differently, one hard, one soft. (Occipital and accident are two others.) The verb comes from the noun vaccine and it is the progenitor of a large family itself: vaccinator "someone who vaccinates", vaccinee "someone who is vaccinated", vaccinatory "related to vaccination", and vaccinable "susceptible to vaccination", as a vaccinable disease.
In Play: Today's Good Word is a delayed reaction to the flu vaccine shortage in the US this year: "I stood in line a half hour to get vaccinated for the flu only to discover the line was for Botox treatments." However, since vaccination is a kind of protection against unpleasantness, we find plenty of room for metaphoric leaps: "I wish I could get vaccinated against Phil Anders's sexist remarks; they still rankle me."
Word History: Today's verb is derived from vaccine, which comes from Latin vaccinus "of cows" from vacca "cow" (vache today in French). Apparently, Latin developed its own word for "cow' from vagire "to bellow". Virtually all other Indo-European languages used the original root *gau-, such as Hindi gAya, Serbian krava, German Kuh, English cow. But why cows and vaccination? The word was coined by Edward Jenner, when he discovered that anyone injected with the virus of the mild disease, cowpox (Latin vaccinia), obtained from cows, developed an immunity against the much more virulent smallpox. As vaccinations for more and more diseases were discovered, the application of Jenner's term was simply expanded.
VACCINATE
- Dr. Goodword
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VACCINATE
• The Good Dr. Goodword
But why berries and Vaccinium?
Vaccinium members include blueberry/bilberry, cranberry, huckleberry ... Already Vergil used the word.
Vaccinium members include blueberry/bilberry, cranberry, huckleberry ... Already Vergil used the word.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/69/C0706900.html discusses what is lingon in Swedish, and agrees that the baccinium theory is a possibility.S. P. Vander Kloet, "On the Etymology of Vaccinium L.," Rhodora 94 (1992) 371-3.
Vander Kloet argues against the derivation of vaccinium (Ecl. 2.18.50; 10.39) from vacinthus and supports baccinium ("berry").
Irren ist männlich
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: VACCINATE
In Spanish, the cow is la vaca, which turns up in Cuernavaca, the capital and the largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico:• vaccinate •
. . .
Word History: Today's verb is derived from vaccine, which comes from Latin vaccinus "of cows" from vacca "cow" (vache today in French). . . .
Sic semper conquistadores!The original Indian name for the city was Cuauhnáhuac, which means "at the edge of the forest", and the city's symbol today is an Indian pictogram of a tree talking. When the conquistadores arrived from Spain, they had trouble pronouncing the word Cuauhnáhuac and changed it to Cuernavaca, meaning "cow's horn".
There are many Spanish Immersion schools in Cuernavaca, and students can make arrangements to live in a home with a Mexican family for a true immersion experience. When my daughter went, she said all the students wanted to speak Spanish to improve their grasp of the language, but all the families they stayed with wanted to speak English to improve their understanding or our language.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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I've had the lingonberries at the cafeteria at IKEA and liked them. During WWII, in England, pilots were served bilberry jam with their toast to help improve their night vision. And as for blueberry pancakes . . . well, if you don't like blueberry pancakes, there is no hope for you!But why berries and Vaccinium?
Vaccinium members include blueberry/bilberry, cranberry, huckleberry ... . . .
http://www.bartleby.com/61/69/C0706900.html discusses what is lingon in Swedish, and agrees that the baccinium theory is a possibility.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
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- Grand Panjandrum
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