immune
adjectivenounverbcommon in dialogue
- United States//ɪˈmjuːn//
Exempt; not subject to.
adjective
- 1
Exempt; not subject to.
As a diplomat, you are immune from prosecution.
He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose.
Bret Stephens believed that, by virtue of his comfortable position at the New York Times, he ought to be immune from insult or criticism.
- 2
Protected by inoculation, or due to innate resistance to pathogens.
I am immune to chicken pox.
- 3
Not vulnerable.
Alas, he was immune to my charms.
[...] most of the original electrical signalling equipment has had to be replaced by apparatus immune to 50-cycle currents.
- 4
Of or pertaining to immunity.
immune system
We examined the patient's immune response.
Many genes with reproductive roles also have antibacterial and immune functions, which indicate that the threat of microbial attack on the sperm or egg may be a major influence on rapid evolution during reproduction.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey- Proto-Indo-European *moy-nósder. Proto-Italic *moinos Latin mūnus Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂der.? Proto-Italic *-is Latin -is Latin in- -is Latin immūnisder. Middle French immunbor. Middle English English immune From Middle English, from Middle French immun, from Latin immūnis (“exempt from public service”), from in- (“not”) + mūnus (“service”).
noun
- 1
A person who is not susceptible to infection by a particular disease
Susceptibles effectively exposed to cases become cases in the next time period; cases recovering from the infection accumulate as immunes.
verb
- 1
rareTo make immune.
In the seventies those who met me did not know / Of the vision / That immuned me from the chillings of mis-prision […]
The utilization of such milk will, however, necessitate an adaptable milk preservation method, through which the immuning agents will not be destroyed or diminished.
Forms
- plural
- immunes
- comparative
- more immune
- superlative
- most immune
- past tense
- immuned
- past participle
- immuned
- present participle
- immuning
- third person singular
- immunes