adjuvant

Etymology

From Latin adiuvāns, present participle of adiuvāre (“to help”), from ad (“to”) + iuvāre (“to help”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ă-j'ə-vənt, IPA^(key): /ˈæ.dʒə.vənt/

Adjective

adjuvant

1. helping; helpful; assisting. [from 16th c.]
2. (medicine) Designating a supplementary form of treatment; specifically, a cancer therapy administered after removal of a primary tumour. [from 19th c.]
   • 2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of all Maladies, Fourth Estate 2011, p. 219:

     Adjuvant chemotherapy, Carbone conjectured, could be the surgeon's little helper.

Noun

adjuvant (plural adjuvants)

1. Someone who helps or facilitates; an assistant, a helper. [from 16th c.]
2. (medicine) Something that enhances the effectiveness of a medical treatment; a supplementary treatment. [from 18th c.]
3. (pharmacology) An additive (as in a drug) that aids or modifies the action of the principal ingredient. [from 19th c.]
4. (pesticide science) An additive (often a separate product) that enhances the efficacy of pesticide products, but has little or no pesticidal activity itself. [from mid 20th c.]
5. (immunology) A substance enhancing the immune response to an antigen. [from 20th c.]

Related terms

• adjutant
• aid
• aidance
• aidant
• aide

Further reading

• adjuvant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• adjuvant in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• adjuvant at OneLook Dictionary Search

Adjective

adjuvant (feminine singular adjuvante, masculine plural adjuvants, feminine plural adjuvantes)

1. adjuvant

Noun

adjuvant m (plural adjuvants)

1. adjuvant

Verb

adjuvant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of adjuvō