allergy (English)
Where does "allergy" come from?
The English word 'allergy' was borrowed from the German 'Allergie'[1][3]. This term was coined in 1906 by the Austrian pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet to describe an altered bodily reaction to foreign substances[1][3]. He constructed the word by combining the Ancient Greek 'ἄλλος' meaning 'other'[1][3] with 'ἔργον' meaning 'work' or 'activity'[1][3]. This formation followed the model of the word 'Energie'[1][3]. The root 'ἄλλος' descends from Proto-Hellenic and Proto-Indo-European sources meaning 'other'[2][5], while the suffix 'ἔργον' traces back to a Proto-Indo-European term for work[6].
Open questions
- The derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos is a linguistic reconstruction rather than an attested historical form. [2] [4] [5]
- The development of the second component *wérǵom is based on reconstructed proto-forms. [6]
Full etymology tree
- allergy (English), 'A disorder of the immune system causing adverse reactions to substances (allergens) not harmful to most and marked by the body's production of histamines and associated with atopy, anaphylaxis, and asthma; any condition of hypersensitivity to a substance.'
- borrowed Allergie (German), 'allergy'
- compound ἄλλος (állos) (Ancient Greek), 'other, another, different, else'
- inherited *áľľos (Proto-Hellenic), 'other, another'
- inherited *h₂élyos (Proto-Indo-European), 'other, another'
- inherited *h₂el- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grow, nourish'
- inherited *h₂élyos (Proto-Indo-European), 'other, another'
- inherited *áľľos (Proto-Hellenic), 'other, another'
- compound ἔργον (érgon) (Ancient Greek), 'work, labour, task'
- inherited *wérgon (Proto-Hellenic), 'work'
- inherited *wérǵom (Proto-Indo-European), 'work'
- inherited *wérgon (Proto-Hellenic), 'work'
- compound ἄλλος (állos) (Ancient Greek), 'other, another, different, else'
- borrowed Allergie (German), 'allergy'
Ancestors
- Allergie (German)
- ἄλλος (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- alerdyi (Cebuano)
- aeroallergy (English)
- allergen (English)
- allergic (English)
- allergic (English)
- allergin (English)
- allergist (English)
- allergoid (English)
- allergologist (English)
- allergology (English)
- allergylike (English)
- allergy salute (English)
Sources
- allergy (English) - Wiktionary
- ἄλλος (állos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- Allergie (German) - Wiktionary
- h₂élyos (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- áľľos (Proto-Hellenic) - Wiktionary
- ἔργον (érgon) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris