English
immunity
Immunity comes from Latin immūnitās ‘freedom or exemption from taxes or public…’, from in- -is ‘-less, without, lacking’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moy-nós1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moinos1‘service’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnus1‘a service, office, employment’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEin- -is1‘-less, without, lacking’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimmūnis1‘free or exempt from taxes, public service, or penalty (+ ablative)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimmūnitās2‘freedom or exemption from taxes or public service’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400immunité2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500immunite2
- Englishearliest quotation 1842immunity2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin immunitas
- 2 Wiktionary, English immunity
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizab, Keeping up Appearances. […]: “Nevertheless, his reason rebelled, and his sense of religion…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin immunitas‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moy-nósWiktionary, Latin immunitasreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moinosWiktionary, Latin immunitas‘service’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnusWiktionary, Latin immunitas‘a service, office, employment’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEin- -isWiktionary, Latin immunitas‘-less, without, lacking’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimmūnisWiktionary, Latin immunitas‘free or exempt from taxes, public service, or penalty (+ ablative)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimmūnitāsWiktionary, English immunity‘freedom or exemption from taxes or public service’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400immunitéWiktionary, English immunity
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500immuniteWiktionary, English immunity
- Englishearliest quotation 1842immunityWiktionary, English immunity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizab, Keeping up Appearances. […]: “Nevertheless, his reason rebelled, and his sense of religion…”
Formed from immune + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
…
Latin mūnus ‘service’
Latin in- -is
Latin immūnis ‘exempt from public service’
Middle French immun
English immune
The story
From Middle English immunite, from Old French immunité, from Latin immūnitās, in the legal sense; for the medical use see immunization.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
mean, met, common, minute, minister, commission, minor, mess, meal, ministry, min, community, menu, communication, compromise, missile, mere, mutual, minus, commit, dismiss, premise, communist, mole, communicate, mayhem, noodle, moor, mural, intermittent, ammo, communal, ammunition, communism, communion, mite, omit, minstrel, commune, monolith, 75 more
through Latin mūnus ‘a service, office, employment’
municipality, remuneration, 5 more
through Latin in- -is ‘-less, without, lacking’
Today it means
noun The state of being insusceptible to something; notably: Protective resistance against disease.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “immunity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin immunitas. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / immunity