Legal Writing

The Adjective is ?Immune?

By Maeve Maddox

I recently saw the word ?immuned? used as an adjective in place of immune. A web search shows that this nonstandard use is proliferating.

Am I Immuned to Herpes??

Muslims immuned from swine flu symptoms

Breast cancer awareness month 2009: Men are not immuned

How can I be immuned to getting strep?

My husband is in the hospital, he does drugs, lowered immuned system,?

Merriam-Webster provides an entry for ?immuned? as an adjective, with the notation ?used chiefly of domestic animals? It does not, however, have an entry for a verb that might have produced the form ?immuned.? So far the unfortunate coinage has not found its way into the pages of the OED.

The adjective immune is a back formation of the noun immunity.

immunity (late 14th century): a legal term meaning ?exempt from service or obligation?

immune (mid-15th century): a legal term meaning ?free; exempt.?

The verb to immunize and the noun immunization came into the language along with the improved medical technique in the 19th century.

immunize:  To make (an organism) immune to a pathogen, disease, or antigen; esp. to administer a vaccine, antiserum, antigen, etc.

immunization:  Med. (and Biol.). The production of immunity in an organism; esp. inoculation or vaccination against a disease. Also: the administration of a vaccine, antiserum, antigen, etc

When immune is used in the sense of ?exempt,? the particle “from” follows it:

Health-Care Shocker? Shows Nobody is Immune from Insurance Company Abuses

Security Contractors Immune from Torture Charges, Judges Rule

When the sense is ?not receptive to,? the particle is “to”:

Old People May Be Immune to Swine Flu

Strange Creature Immune to Pain

Macs no longer immune to viruses, experts say

Bottom line: if your goal is to speak or write a standard form of English, you must abjure the use of ?immuned.?

Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on April 01, 2010 (boomark / email).