Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
allegory
allegretto
allegro
allele
allelo-
allelochemical
allelomorph
allelopathy
allelotoxin
alleluia
allemande
Allen
Allen key
Allen screw
Allen wrench
allene
Allentown
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

allergy

al·ler·gy [ állərjee ] (plural al·ler·gies)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. hypersensitivity to substance: unusual sensitivity to a normally harmless substance that provokes a strong reaction from a person's body. The body is sensitized by the immune system's response to the first exposure to the substance, and the reaction takes place only upon subsequent exposures.

2. aversion: a strong aversion to something ( informal )
an allergy to housework

[Early 20th century. < German Allergie< Greek allos "other" (see allo-), after Energie "energy"]
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft