allergy

noun

USAL-ur-jee/ˈæl.əɹ.d͡ʒi/AL-uh-jee/ˈæl.ə.d͡ʒi/

Pluralallergies

3 meanings of allergy

1
nouncountable
A condition where the body reacts badly to something that is harmless to most people.
Like an alarm that goes off even when there is no real danger.
Her allergy makes her sneeze whenever she gets close to a cat.
He has a food allergy and cannot eat anything with peanuts in it.
Note
2
nouncolloquialfigurativelycountable
A strong dislike of a person or an activity.
Like backing away from something you really don't want to be near.
He has an allergy to hard work and avoids it whenever he can.
She seems to have an allergy to getting up early.
Similaraversion, dislike, antipathy, distaste
Oppositeliking, fondness
Note
3
nouncountable
The fast-acting kind of allergy, caused by an antibody known as IgE.
Like a trap that springs the instant something touches it.
An IgE allergy can bring on hives within minutes of eating shellfish.
A class one allergy works fast, so the symptoms show up right away.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from the German word Allergie. A doctor made it in 1906 from Greek words meaning 'other' and 'work'.