anti-rejection
|an-ti-re-jec-tion|
/ˌæn.ti rɪˈdʒɛk.ʃən/
against rejection
Etymology
'anti-rejection' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with the noun 'rejection.' 'Rejection' ultimately derives from Latin 'reiectio' from 'reicere' (re- 'back/again' + iacere/jacere 'to throw').
'rejection' changed from Latin 'reicere' to Old French 'rejeter' and Middle English forms like 'rejeccion,' eventually becoming the modern English word 'rejection.' The compound 'anti-rejection' arose in modern medical English by combining 'anti-' with 'rejection' to denote measures against graft rejection.
The Latin root originally meant 'to throw back.' Over time 'rejection' evolved to mean 'refusal' or 'dismissal' and, in medicine, 'the immune system's refusal of a graft.' 'Anti-rejection' now means 'against rejection' (i.e., preventing or opposing rejection).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a drug or treatment that prevents or reduces transplant rejection; an immunosuppressive agent.
The doctor prescribed an anti-rejection drug after the surgery.
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Adjective 1
describing drugs, treatments, or measures that prevent or reduce the immune system's rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue.
Patients were given anti-rejection medication after the transplant.
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Last updated: 2026/01/01 15:10