# allergy

Pronunciation: US say "AL-ur-jee" /ˈæl.əɹ.d͡ʒi/; UK say "AL-uh-jee" /ˈæl.ə.d͡ʒi/

## Noun

1. A disorder of the immune system that produces adverse reactions to normally harmless substances, marked by histamine release and linked to atopy, anaphylaxis, and asthma.
   - Simple: A condition where the body reacts badly to something that is harmless to most people.
   - _A severe nut allergy means she carries an epinephrine injector wherever she goes._
   - _Seasonal allergies flare up every spring when pollen counts rise._
2. A feeling of strong dislike or aversion, as toward a person or an activity. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A strong dislike of a person or an activity.
   - _My manager has a real allergy to long meetings and ends them fast._
   - _Their allergy to criticism makes every feedback session tense._
3. A class I hypersensitivity in the modern classification, the type mediated by immunoglobulin E antibodies.
   - Simple: The fast-acting kind of allergy, caused by an antibody known as IgE.
   - _An immediate IgE-mediated allergy can escalate to anaphylaxis within minutes of exposure._
   - _Skin-prick testing helps confirm a class I allergy before doctors prescribe avoidance measures._

## Origin

Borrowed from German Allergie, coined by Austrian pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet in 1906 from Ancient Greek állos ("other") plus érgon ("work, activity"), formed on the model of Energie.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/allergy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).