/iˌnäkyəˈlāSHən/
Noun, pl. inoculations
(Immunology)
1. The placement of something that will grow or reproduce, and is most commonly used in respect of the introduction of a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into the body of a human or animal, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease. (wikipedia.org)
2. The introduction of a microorganism into a culture medium. (wiktionary.org)
3. The process of introducing an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to trigger immune response against a specific disease. (biology-online.org)
4. The action of inoculating or of being inoculated; vaccination (Google Dictionary); taking a vaccine as a precaution against contracting a disease (wordnetweb.princeton.edu).
(Microbiology)
1. Refers to the communication of a disease to a living organism by transferring its causative agent into the organism, the implanting of microorganisms or infectious material into a culture medium such as a brewers vat or a petri dish, or the placement of microorganisms or viruses at a site where infection is possible. (wikipedia.org)
2. The introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease (wiktionary.org)
3. The act of introducing microorganism or suspension of microorganisms (e.g. bacteria) into a culture medium. (biology-online.org)
Word origin: From Latin inoculationem (nominative inoculatio) “an engrafting, budding,” noun of action from past participle stem of inoculare.