Antibodies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Proteins generated by the immune system that target and neutralize pathogens and foreign substances to protect the body from disease
2. Specialized proteins synthesized by immune cells that identify specific antigens, helping to filter out diseases and infections
3. Proteins produced by immune cells that specifically recognize and bind to foreign substances to prevent infection

Etymology: "Antibodies" is the plural of "antibody," so its history belongs to the singular. The word is a calque of German "Antikörper," built from "anti-," meaning "against," and "body" in the sense of a physical substance. In other words, English took the German term and translated its parts piece by piece rather than borrowing the whole word. The German original reflects the idea behind the discovery. Researchers in the late 1800s found that blood contained substances that worked against invading microbes, and German scientists called these agents "Antikörper," literally "counter-bodies." The English name keeps that sense: each one is a body-like substance set against a specific invader.

Synonyms: immunoglobulins, serum proteins