vaccine

Where does the word "vaccine" come from? It comes from Latin vacca, and was adopted directly into English (1800).

Vaccine’s story begins in Latin: vacca meant “a cow.” A cow, the root behind Edward Jenner's cowpox-based smallpox treatment. It reached English by 1800 as vaccine. Coined by Edward Jenner for his cowpox-derived inoculation against smallpox. Today, vaccine means a preparation that stimulates the immune system's protection against a disease.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient vacca "a cow", a cow, the root behind Edward Jenner's cowpox-based smallpox treatment.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800 vaccine "a preparation that stimulates immunity to a disease", coined by Edward Jenner for his cowpox-derived inoculation against smallpox.