Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced because of the introduction of an antigen into the body, and which possesses the remarkable ability to combine with the very antigen that triggered its production.
The production of antibodies is a major function of the immune system and is carried out by a type of white blood cell called a B cell (B lymphocyte). Antibodies can be triggered by and directed at foreign proteins, microorganisms, or toxins. Some antibodies are autoantibodies and home in against our own tissues.
The term "antibody" dates to 1901. Prior to that time, an "antibody" referred to any of a host of different substances that served as "bodies" (foot soldiers) in the fight against infection and its ill effects.
n. , pl. , -ies . A Y-shaped protein on the surface of B cells that is secreted into the blood or lymph in response to an antigenic stimulus, such as a bacterium ...
antibody /an·ti·body/ (Ab) (an´tÄ-bod-e) an immunoglobulin molecule that reacts with a specific antigen that induced its synthesis and with similar molecules ...
An antibody is a protein produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful substances, called antigens. Examples of antigens include ...
an·ti·bod·y (n t-b d) n. pl. an·ti·bod·ies. A Y-shaped protein on the surface of B cells that is secreted into the blood or lymph in response to an antigenic ...
Each antibody binds to a specific antigen; an interaction similar to a lock and key.