/ ɪˈnɒkjuleɪt; NAmE ɪˈnɑːk-/ verb
[ vn ] inoculate sb (against sth) to protect a person or an animal from catching a particular disease by injecting them with a mild form of the disease
—compare immunize , vaccinate
► in·ocu·la·tion / ɪˌnɒkjuˈleɪʃn; NAmE ɪˌnɑːk-/ noun [ C , U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense graft a bud or shoot into a different plant ): from Latin inoculat- grafted, from the verb inoculare , from in- into + oculus eye, bud. The sense vaccinate dates from the early 18th cent.