n.
- Hypersensitivity especially in animals to a substance, such as foreign protein or a drug, that is caused by exposure to a foreign substance after a preliminary exposure.
- See anaphylactic shock.
[ANA- + (PRO)PHYLAXIS.]
anaphylactic an'a·phy·lac'tic (-lăk'tĭk) or an'a·phy·lac'toid (-toid) adj.anaphylactically an'a·phy·lac'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.