Antibody
/ˈæntɪbɒdi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA protein made by the body to fight a particular harmful substance.
Extra definitions
nounA blood protein that recognizes harmful foreign materials.
nounAn immune molecule that helps protect the body.
nounA protein produced by B-lymphocytes that binds to a specific antigen.
Sentence Examples
The test detected an antibody in her blood.
An antibody can recognize a virus.
Vaccination helps the body produce antibodies.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
From anti- + body, a calque of German Antikörper.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“It’s estimated only 0.1% of antibodies circulating in the bloodstream enter the brain – this also includes the therapeutic antibodies currently used in clinical trials. An approach my team is taking is to use ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, which increases the uptake of Alzheimer’s drugs or antibody fragments.”
— 2018 January 18, Jürgen Götz, “Why it’s so hard to treat dementia”, in CNN:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The test detected an ____ in her blood.