Immunologic Factor
antibody Audio
an·ti·bod·y [ an-ti-bod-ee ]
Subclass of:
Immunoglobulins
Etymology:
Greek anti = against + body
Hence a body acting against.
Definitions related to antibodies:
  • (antibody) A protein made by plasma cells (a type of white blood cell) in response to an antigen (a substance that causes the body to make a specific immune response). Each antibody can bind to only one specific antigen. The purpose of this binding is to help destroy the antigen. Some antibodies destroy antigens directly. Others make it easier for white blood cells to destroy the antigen.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (antibody) A protein made by the immune system to protect the body from harmful substances, called antigens.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • (antibody) A type of protein made by B lymphocytes in response to a foreign substance (antigen). Each antibody only binds to a specific antigen, helping to destroy the antigen directly or by assisting white blood cells to destroy the antigen.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (antibody) Infection-fighting protein molecule in blood or secretory fluids that tags, neutralizes, and helps destroy pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses and toxins; they are generally known as immunoglobulins, and are made and secreted by B-lymphocytes in response to stimulation by antigens; each specific antibody binds only to the specific antigen that stimulated its production.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the ANTIGEN (or a very similar shape) that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially PLASMA CELLS).
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Antibody, a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance, called an antigen. Antibodies recognize and latch onto antigens in order to remove them from the body. A wide range of substances are regarded by the body as antigens, including...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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