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| an·ti·bod·y [ ánti bòddee, ántī bòddee ] (plural an·ti·bod·ies) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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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.
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| [Early 20th century. Translation of German Antikörper, contraction of anti-toxischer Körper "antitoxic body" or a similar phrase] |
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