Antigen
/ˈæn.ti.dʒən/noun
A substance that the immune system recognizes as foreign and that can trigger an immune response.
Did you know?The term was coined in the late 19th century in immunology from Greek roots meaning “against” and “to produce,” so the word itself encodes opposition and generation at the same time.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
anti-
“against, opposite to”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-genēs / -genēsis
“born of, producing, generating”
Late 19th Century
English
antigen
“a substance that stimulates the formation of an antibody”
Modern English
English
antigen
“a foreign substance that triggers an immune response”