immunocompetence
|im-mu-no-com-pe-tence|
🇺🇸
/ɪˌmjuːnəˈkɑmpətəns/
🇬🇧
/ɪˌmjuːnəˈkɒmpɪtəns/
ability of the immune system
Etymology
'immunocompetence' originates from Latin-derived elements: specifically 'immunis' (Latin), where 'immunis' meant 'exempt, protected', and 'competentia' (Latin), where 'competentia' meant 'suitability, sufficient ability'.
'immunocompetence' developed by combining the adjective/root 'immune' (from Latin 'immunis' via New Latin) with 'competence' (from Old French/Latin 'competence' < Latin 'competentia'). The compound arose as a technical medical term in modern immunology (20th century).
Initially the parts meant 'exempt/protected' and 'suitability/ability'; over time their combination came to denote the immune system's capacity to respond appropriately, a specialized biological/clinical sense established in modern medical usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the ability of an organism's immune system to recognize antigens and mount an appropriate defensive response.
Researchers measured immunocompetence to determine how well subjects could respond to the vaccine.
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Noun 2
the functional status of an individual's immune system, often assessed clinically by tests (e.g., cell counts, antibody responses) to predict susceptibility to infection or disease.
Low immunocompetence following chemotherapy increased the patient's risk of opportunistic infections.
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Last updated: 2026/01/01 16:59