Word
antibody
Phoneticsan·ti·body
US/ˈæntiˌbɑdi/
UK/ˈæntɪbˌɒdi/
Definition
n. a protein your body makes to fight off germs like viruses and bacteria. It locks onto the invader so your immune system can destroy it.
n. a specialized Y-shaped protein produced by the immune system to neutralize or mark pathogens for destruction.
Examples
“Your body creates antibodies to fight the flu.”
“The vaccine helps your immune system produce antibodies before you meet the virus.”
“Researchers are studying how long the antibodies generated by the new treatment remain active in the bloodstream.”
Examples
simple
“Your body creates antibodies to fight the flu.”
contextual
“The vaccine helps your immune system produce antibodies before you meet the virus.”
complex
“Researchers are studying how long the antibodies generated by the new treatment remain active in the bloodstream.”
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“Fortuitously, for mRNA vaccines, the residual amount of double-stranded RNA can stimulate the immune system to enhance antibody responses .” “Researchers have also explored silk particles and gels for drugs made from proteins, like insulin and antibody treatments.” “When the scientists evaluated the antibodies against multiple fentanyl designer drugs, the vaccine demonstrated the broad protection they had hoped to achieve.” Etymology
From anti- + body, a calque of German Antikörper.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/antibody