Main Entry: an·ti·gen

Pronunciation: \ˈan-ti-jən, -ˌjen\

Function: noun

Etymology: German, from French antigène, from anticorps antibody + -gène -gen

Date: 1908

: any substance (as an immunogen or a hapten) foreign to the body that evokes an immune response either alone or after forming a complex with a larger molecule (as a protein) and that is capable of binding with a product (as an antibody or T cell) of the immune response

— an·ti·gen·ic \ˌan-ti-ˈje-nik\ adjective

— an·ti·gen·i·cal·ly \-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— an·ti·ge·nic·i·ty \-jə-ˈni-sə-tē\ noun