Word
allergy
Phoneticsal·ler·gy
US/ˈæɫɝdʒi/
UK/ˈælədʒi/
Definitions
01medical reaction
n. a medical condition where your body reacts badly to something like a certain food, pollen, or fur.
n. a hypersensitive immune system disorder characterized by adverse reactions to specific allergens, often involving histamine production.
“He has a severe allergy to peanuts and must be very careful when eating out.”
“The patient presented with a systemic allergy to certain antibiotics, necessitating an immediate change in the prescribed treatment plan.”
Usage
Commonly used with the preposition 'to'.
Pitfall
I have allergy to cats.
I have an allergy to cats.
In this sense, 'allergy' is a countable noun and requires an article like 'an' or 'the'.
Synonyms
02strong dislike
n. a strong feeling of not liking a person, an activity, or an idea.
n. a figurative extension denoting a strong antipathy or aversion toward a specific subject or activity.
“I seem to have developed a sudden allergy to doing housework this weekend.”
“His apparent allergy to hard work became a significant point of contention during his annual performance review.”
Informal · Humorous
Teaching tip
This sense is used for humorous effect to exaggerate a dislike; it should not be used in formal or medical contexts.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Allergie. Coined by Austrian pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet in 1906 from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work, activity”), on the model of Energie.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/allergy