Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| inmunidad colectiva | feminine |
| inmunidad de grupo/rebaño | feminine |
The term refers to a form of indirect protection against a disease. The most frequent way to express this concept in news reports and general conversation is inmunidad de rebaño.
What does it mean word for word?
The word rebaño literally means 'herd' (usually referring to sheep or goats) and is used to create the metaphor for 'herd immunity'.
Which one should you use?
Inmunidad colectiva is a more formal, scientific term, whereas inmunidad de rebaño is the more common, literal translation of 'herd immunity'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the term inmunidad de la manada is used as a regional variation of inmunidad de rebaño. In Spain, the term inmunidad poblacional may be used instead of inmunidad comunitaria.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun inmunidad is feminine, so any accompanying adjectives must also be feminine, such as inmunidad colectiva.
Did you know?
- The word inmunidad comes from the Latin immūnis, which originally meant a legal exemption from a public duty or tax.
- While rebaño refers to sheep and goats, the term manada used in some Latin American regions typically describes groups of wild animals like wolves or elephants.
- In many scientific Spanish contexts, the word colectiva is preferred over de rebaño to avoid the somewhat derogatory or 'mindless' connotation that 'herd' can sometimes carry in Spanish social commentary.
Example sentences for Spanish are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “herd immunity” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, inmunidad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
