atopy

atopy [at-uh-pee] Word Origin noun

1. an allergy, involving an inherited immunoglobulin of the IgE type, that predisposes a person to certain allergic responses, as atopic dermatitis.

Origin of atopy 1920–25; Greek atopía extraordinariness, equivalent to átop(os) out of place, unusual (see a-6, topo-) + -ia -y3 British Dictionary definitions for atopy atopy noun

1. immunol a hereditary tendency to be hypersensitive to certain allergens

Word Origin and History for atopy n.

1923, coined by Edward D. Perry, professor of Greek at Columbia University, at the request of medical men, from Greek atopia “unusualness, strangeness, a being out of the way,” from atopos “out of place, strange, odd, eccentric,” from a-, privative prefix (see a- (3)), + topos “place” (see topos).

atopy in Medicine atopy [ăt′ə-pē] n.

1. A hereditary disorder marked by the tendency to develop immediate allergic reactions to substances such as pollen, food, dander, and insect venoms and manifested by hay fever, asthma, or similar allergic conditions.atopic allergy

Related formsa•top′ic (ā-tŏp′ĭk) adj.