Definition

The ability of a substance to provoke an immune response in the body.

Example

The antigenicity of the vaccine is crucial for its effectiveness in preventing disease.

Conversation

I was reading about how antigenicity affects vaccine effectiveness.

That's interesting! How does it work exactly?

Well, it refers to the ability of a substance to trigger an immune response.

Got it! So, higher antigenicity means a better reaction from the immune system?

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Antigenicity is formed from "anti-" (meaning against) and "genus" (from Greek "genos", meaning race or kind) combined with the suffix "-icity" (meaning the quality of). The term refers to the quality of a substance that induces an immune response against it.

Memory Tip

Think of 'against' ('anti-') something that is of a certain 'kind' ('genus') — this helps you remember that antigenicity is about the quality of a substance that provokes an immune response.

Visually Confused Words