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any of numerous Y -shaped protein molecules produced by B cells as a primary immune defense, each molecule and its clones having a unique binding site that can combine with the complementary site of a foreign , as on a virus or bacterium, thereby disabling the and signaling other immune defenses.
Abbreviation: Ab.
antibodies of a particular type collectively.
Contemporary Examples

For example, though I had chicken pox decades ago, I still have antibody to chicken pox.
The ‘HIV-Cured Baby’ Distorts Hope Kent Sepkowitz March 6, 2014

She was not known previously to be HIV infected but on testing was found to have antibody to the virus.
Let’s Not Rush to Call the HIV Baby Findings a ‘Cure’ Kent Sepkowitz March 4, 2013

Historical Examples

It is evident that some sort of an antibody results from the first protein injected and that it is specific for its own antigen.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology Charles Bradfield Morrey

The antibody could be synthesized and one could attack any epidemic with confidence.
Pariah Planet Murray Leinster

Back aboard the ship they started preparing a larger quantity of the antibody suspension.
Star Surgeon Alan Nourse

A quick test-run showed that the antibody was also being regenerated.
Star Surgeon Alan Nourse

That last checkup showed an antibody titer entirely too high for safety.
Category Phoenix Boyd Ellanby

All we’ve done was inject an antibody against a specific virus.
Star Surgeon Alan Nourse

I should say the antibody titer has reached the danger point.
Category Phoenix Boyd Ellanby

The kind of antibody and the manner of its action will differ with the different kinds of antigens used.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology Charles Bradfield Morrey

noun (pl) -bodies
any of various proteins produced in the blood in response to the presence of an antigen. By becoming attached to antigens on infectious organisms antibodies can render them harmless or cause them to be destroyed See also immunoglobulin
n.

“substance developed in blood as an antitoxin,” 1901, a hybrid formed from anti- “against” + body. Probably a translation of German Antikörper, condensed from a phrase such as anti-toxisches Körper “anti-toxic body.”

antibody an·ti·bod·y (ān’tĭ-bŏd’ē)
n.

Abbr. Ab A protein substance produced in the blood or tissues in response to a specific antigen, such as a bacterium or a toxin, that destroys or weakens bacteria and neutralizes organic poisons, thus forming the basis of immunity.

An immunoglobulin present in the blood serum or body fluids as a result of antigenic stimulus and interacting only with the antigen that induced it or with an antigen closely related to it.

antibody
(ān’tĭ-bŏd’ē)

Any of numerous proteins produced by B lymphocytes in response to the presence of specific foreign antigens, including microorganisms and toxins. Antibodies consist of two pairs of polypeptide chains, called heavy chains and light chains, that are arranged in a Y-shape. The two tips of the Y are the regions that bind to antigens and deactivate them. Also called immunoglobulin.

Our Living Language : Like other vertebrates, humans possess an effective immune system that uses antibodies to fight bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Antibodies are complex, Y-shaped protein molecules. The immune system’s B lymphocytes, which are produced by the bone marrow, develop into plasma cells that can generate a huge variety of antibodies, each one capable of combining with and destroying an antigen, a foreign molecule. Antibodies react to very specific characteristics of different antigens, binding them to the top ends of their Y formation. Once the antibody and antigen combine, the antibodies deactivate the antigen or lead it to macrophages(a kind of white blood cell) that ingest and destroy it. High numbers of a particular antibody may persist for months after an invasion, eventually diminishing. However, the B cells can quickly manufacture more of the same antibody if exposure to the antigen recurs. Vaccines work by “training” B cells to recognize and react quickly to potential disease molecules.