antigen
Americannoun
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Immunology. any substance, as a protein, carbohydrate, etc., that, on entering the body, can stimulate an immune response and combine with a specific antibody or T cell receptor having a matching molecular structure.
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Pharmacology. any commercial substance, usually synthetic, that stimulates the production of antibodies when injected or absorbed into animal tissues.
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antigens of a particular type collectively.
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012-
A substance that stimulates the production of an antibody when introduced into the body. Antigens include toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances.
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Compare antibody See Note at blood type
Usage
What does antigen mean? An antigen is a substance that causes an immune response in the body—specifically, an antigen causes the body to produce antibodies. Antigens are things like viruses, bacteria, toxins, cancer cells, and other foreign substances, like the cells of a transplanted organ.An antibody is a protein produced by some cells as part of the immune system’s defenses. Antibodies attach to antigens and make them harmless or help the body to destroy them.Antigens are studied in fields like immunology, virology, and pharmacology. Most vaccines contain forms of antigens that trigger the body to produce specific antibodies to fight that antigen.
Other Word Forms
- antigenic adjective
- antigenically adverb
- antigenicity noun
Etymology
Origin of antigen
First recorded in 1905–10; anti(body) + -gen
Compare meaning
How does antigen compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They discovered that the TCR behaves like a jack-in-the-box, staying compact until it encounters an antigen or another suspicious particle, at which point it rapidly opens.
From Science Daily
These included improved antigen recognition by immune cells and a greater reduction in unnecessary immune signaling.
From Science Daily
This key viral feature is known as an antigen.
From Science Daily
However, creating antigens for each cancer type can require extensive genome sequencing or bioinformatics analysis.
From Science Daily
The Community Health Station program was initially established to continue the distribution of COVID-19 antigen tests, also known as rapid tests, according to the public health department.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
