sensitizer
|sen-si-ti-zer|
🇺🇸
/ˈsɛn.sɪˌtaɪ.zər/
🇬🇧
/ˈsɛn.sɪˌtaɪ.zə/
something that makes sensitive
Etymology
'sensitizer' originates from modern English 'sensitize' (formed in the 19th century from French 'sensibiliser'), with the agent suffix '-er' indicating 'one that causes'. The root 'sens-' derives ultimately from Latin 'sensus' meaning 'perception' or 'feeling'.
'sensitize' came into English via French 'sensibiliser' (19th century); the English verb took the suffix -ize (from Greek '-izein' via Latin/French), and the agent noun 'sensitizer' was formed by adding English '-er'.
Originally the components meant 'relating to sense or feeling' (from Latin 'sensus'); over time the English formation came to mean 'to make sensitive' and specifically named agents that produce sensitivity (e.g., allergens, photosensitizers), a narrowing and technical specialization of the basic idea.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance that causes an organism (often skin or the immune system) to become sensitized — i.e., to develop an allergic or heightened reactive response on subsequent exposures (also called a skin sensitizer).
The laboratory identified the compound as a potential sensitizer for workers handling the material.
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Noun 2
a substance or agent that increases the sensitivity of a material or system to another stimulus (for example, a photosensitizer that makes photographic film or a chemical reaction more responsive to light, or a radiosensitizer that makes tumor cells more responsive to radiation).
Researchers added a photosensitizer to the emulsion to improve low-light performance.
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Noun 3
in immunology or toxicology, an agent that primes the immune system so that it reacts on subsequent exposures; used in tests or in describing mechanisms of allergic sensitization.
The patch test used a known sensitizer to determine whether the patient had developed contact allergy.
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Verb 1
transformation note: related verb form 'sensitize' — to make sensitive or more responsive. (Listed as a related transformation of the noun 'sensitizer'.)
A sensitizer in the formulation can sensitize skin upon repeated exposure.
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Last updated: 2025/11/21 15:20