Where does “antibody” come from?

Antibody comes from English anti- plus body, with anti- from Ancient Greek ἀντί meaning against, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti.

antibody (English): A protein produced by B-lymphocytes that binds to...

Definitions

  1. A protein produced by B-lymphocytes that binds to...

Ancestry of “antibody”, step by step

antibody traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Antikörper

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanAntikörperantibody
2Germankörperbody (of a person, animal, etc.)
3Middle High Germankörper—
4Latincorpusbody, person; substance, material; the flesh of...
5Proto-Italickorposbody
6Proto-Indo-Europeankréposbody
7Proto-Indo-Europeankrep-body

via English Body

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBodyCorpus Christi College, Cambridge
2Middle Englishbodemessenger
3Old Englishbodamessenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet
4Proto-Germanicbudômessenger
5Proto-Germanicbeudanąto offer, to bid
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewdʰ-to be awake, be aware

Words derived from “antibody”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European krep- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European krépos →Every word from Proto-Italic korpos →