immunosuppressive
|im-mu-no-sup-press-ive|
🇺🇸
/ˌɪm.jə.noʊ.səˈprɛs.ɪv/
🇬🇧
/ˌɪm.juː.nə.səˈprɛs.ɪv/
suppresses the immune system
Etymology
'immunosuppressive' originates from a modern scientific formation combining the prefix 'immuno-' (from Latin 'immunis' meaning 'exempt') and 'suppressive' (from Latin 'suppressus', past participle of 'supprimere', meaning 'to press down').
'immuno-' was adopted into New Latin/modern scientific vocabulary from Latin 'immunis'; 'suppressive' comes from Latin 'supprimere' → Late Latin/Old French forms → English 'suppress' and adjective-forming '-ive', with the compound 'immunosuppressive' arising in 20th-century medical English.
The components originally meant 'exempt' (immuno-) and 'to press down' (suppress-); together in modern medical usage they denote 'causing suppression of the immune system.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a drug or agent that suppresses the immune system (used especially in contexts such as transplant medicine or autoimmune disease treatment).
After the transplant, the patient was started on an immunosuppressive to prevent rejection.
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Adjective 1
causing or tending to cause suppression of the immune system or a reduced immune response.
The medication has immunosuppressive effects and may increase the risk of infection.
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Last updated: 2025/10/01 09:21