Dictionary

anaphylaxis en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌænəfɪˈlæksɪs/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French anaphylaxie, coined by French physiologist and parapsychologist Charles Richet and French zoologist Paul Portier from the Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ- (ănă-, “(intensifier) thoroughly”) from ᾰ̓νᾰ́ (ănắ, “to, again, upon”) and φύλαξις (phúlaxis, “protection, watching, guarding”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug.
2. (countable, uncountable) A severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen, causing a constriction of the trachea, preventing breathing; anaphylactic shock.
   • While we wait, she [Maggie Aderin-Pocock] reassures me that she always carries an EpiPen, and says she has recently become an ambassador for the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, an allergy awareness charity named after teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperousse, who died from anaphylaxis in 2016. 2025 December 20, Laura Battle, “Lunch with the FT: Maggie Aderin-Pocock”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:
   • He said a bite could send someone into anaphylaxis, which is a narrowing of the airways and lowering of blood pressure, within minutes. 2025 August 16, Rylee Kirk, quoting William Sutton, “Hiker in Tennessee Who Picked Up a Venomous Snake Dies After Being Bitten”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Aug 2025:
   • “Anyone who has experienced or witnessed an anaphylaxis reaction knows it can be very stressful deciding when to inject epinephrine to themselves or a child and often delay,” Dr. Jonathan Spergel, chief of the allergy program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a news release from ARS Pharmaceuticals. 2024 August 9, Meg Tirrell, “First nasal spray epinephrine drug for emergency allergic reactions gets FDA approval”, in CNN:

Forms

Deriveds

pseudoanaphylaxis · anaphylatoxin · oral mite anaphylaxis

Hypernyms

hypersensitivity · type I hypersensitivity

Relateds

seroanaphylaxis · anaphylactoid · anaphylactogenic · anaphylactically · antianaphylaxis · anaphylactic · anaphylaxic

Translations (30)

it anafilassi (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · cmn 過敏性反應 /过敏性反应 (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · tr anafilaksi (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · ar إِعْوَار (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · el αναφυλαξία (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · hu anafilaxia (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · pl anafilaksja (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · ca anafilaxi (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · ja アナフィラキシー (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · nl anafylaxie (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · ru анафилакси́я (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · id anafilaksis (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · fi anafylaksia (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · es anafilaxia (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · hu anafilaxia (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · ar عَوَار (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · pt anafilaxia (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · fr anaphylaxie (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · eo anafilaksio (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · id anafilaksis (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · de Anaphylaxie (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · cs anafylaxe (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · es anafilaxia (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · de Anaphylaxie (extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug) · cmn 過敏性休克 /过敏性休克 (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · fi anafylaksia (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · hi तीव्रग्राहिता (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · kk анафилаксия (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · ar تَأَق (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen) · pl wstrząs anafilaktyczny (severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen)