Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “antigen” come from?

Antigen comes from French anti- combined with English gene, which derives from Ancient Greek γενεά meaning "generation" or "origin."

antigen (English): A substance that induces an immune response,...

Definitions

  1. A substance that induces an immune response,...

Ancestry of “antigen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchantigèneantigen
2Frenchgènegene
3Middle Frenchgehenne—
4Old Frenchgehinepunishment resulting from admission of guilt;...
5Old Frenchgehirto admit, confess, acknowledge
6Frankishjehhjanto say, confess
7Proto-Germanicjehanąto speak, say, express
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyék-e-ti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyek-to utter

Words derived from “antigen”

  • antigenic
  • antigenicity
  • autoantigen
  • antigenically
  • superantigen
  • alloantigen
  • antigenemia
  • nonantigenic
  • neoantigen
  • oligoantigenic
  • nonantigen
  • superantigenic
  • multiantigen
  • exoantigen
  • xenoantigen
  • isoantigen
  • coproantigen
  • autoantigenicity
  • antigenemic
  • glycoantigen
  • phosphoantigen
  • ectoantigen
  • superantigenicity
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yek- →