Definition

A chemical found in the body that is involved in allergic reactions and helps regulate various functions like stomach acid production and blood flow.

Example

When she ate peanuts, her body released histamine, causing her to have an allergic reaction.

Conversation

I read that histamine is responsible for allergic reactions in our bodies.

Yeah, that's true! It's released when we encounter allergens.

That makes sense, but I didn't know it could also affect our stomachs.

Definitely! It can stimulate gastric acid secretion too.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Histamine → It is formed from "histos" (from Greek, meaning tissue) and "amine" (from Latin, meaning nitrogen-containing compound). The word refers to a compound involved in local immune responses in tissues.

Memory Tip

Think of 'tissue' ('histos') and a 'nitrogen compound' ('amine') to remember that histamine is a substance related to immune responses in body tissues.

Visually Confused Words