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antibody

an·ti·bod·y [ ánti bòddee, ántī bòddee ] (plural an·ti·bod·ies)


noun 
Definition:
 
protein that fights infections: a protein produced by B cells in the body in response to the presence of an antigen, e.g. a bacterium or virus. Antibodies are a primary form of immune response in resistance to disease and act by attaching themselves to a foreign antigen and weakening or destroying it.

[Early 20th century. Translation of German Antikörper, contraction of anti-toxischer Körper "antitoxic body" or a similar phrase]
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