Allergia

/ə.ˈlɜr.dʒi.ə/ noun

Definition

A medical term for allergy, particularly used in romance language medical contexts or historical medical literature.

Etymology

From Italian or Spanish allergia, derived from the Greek allos (other) and ergon (action/reaction), literally meaning 'abnormal reaction.' The term entered medical vocabulary in the early 20th century.

Kelly Says

Allergia is how doctors in Italy, Spain, and other Romance-speaking countries still say 'allergy'—English borrowed 'allergy' directly from German, which is why we sound different but mean the same thing!

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