What’s in a word – Vaccine
Recommended for Preparatory Grades
What is a vaccine?
It is a substance given to a person or animal to prevent them from getting a disease. It contains the same virus or bacterium that causes the disease but in a form that is not harmful. Today, there are vaccines for many diseases like polio, measles and flu. Vaccination is the process of giving or receiving a vaccine.
What is the history of the word?
‘Vaccine‘ comes from the Latin word vaccinus. This in turn comes from another Latin word vacca meaning ‘cow’.
It is believed that British scientist, Dr Edward Jenner, coined the term in 1796.
Who was Dr Edward Jenner?
Dr Edward Jenner was the creator of the world’s first vaccine – the smallpox vaccine.
But what is the link between vaccines and a ‘cow’?
The word ‘vaccine’ came about because the smallpox vaccine was created using the cowpox virus (Variolae vaccine). Cowpox is a disease similar to but less serious than smallpox.
Watch a video on how vaccines work to protect the body. Video credit: Boston Children’s Hospital/Youtube
English is one of the most commonly used languages today. However, many words in the English language come from different languages, especially, Greek and Latin. They usually have some interesting history behind them and it is fun to find out about them. So, in this “What’s in a word” series, come along with us at Curious Times as we try to find out the origin of common English words. Prepare to be awed, impressed or even shocked sometimes.
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