an·ti·gen

[an-ti-juhn, -jen]
noun
1.
Immunology. any substance that can stimulate the production of antibodies and combine specifically with them.
2.
Pharmacology. any commercial substance that, when injected or absorbed into animal tissues, stimulates the production of antibodies.
3.
antigens of a particular type collectively.

Origin:
1905–10; anti(body) + -gen

an·ti·gen·ic [an-ti-jen-ik] , adjective
an·ti·gen·i·cal·ly, adverb
an·ti·ge·nic·i·ty [an-ti-juh-nis-i-tee] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To antigens
00:10
Antigens is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Collins
World English Dictionary
antigen (ˈæntɪdʒən, -ˌdʒɛn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a substance that stimulates the production of antibodies
 
[C20: from anti(body) + -gen]
 
anti'genic
 
adj
 
anti'genically
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

antigen
"substance that causes production of an antibody," 1908, from Ger., from Fr. antigène (1899), from anti- + Gk. gennan "to produce."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

antigen an·ti·gen (ān'tĭ-jən)
n.
Any of various substances, including toxins, bacteria, and the cells of transplanted organs, that when introduced into the body stimulate the production of antibodies. Also called allergen, immunogen.


an'ti·gen'ic (-jěn'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
antigen   (ān'tĭ-jən)  Pronunciation Key 
A substance that stimulates the production of an antibody when introduced into the body. Antigens include toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances. Compare antibody. See Note at blood type.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
antigens [(an-ti-juhnz)]

Substances that are foreign to the body and cause the production of antibodies. Toxins, invading bacteria and viruses, and the cells of transplanted organs can all function as antigens.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Vaccines work by exposing the body to particles called antigens, which trigger
  an immune response.
These harmful substances have proteins called antigens on their surfaces.
But the layers can be alternated to any thickness desired, and inconvenient
  antigens thus hidden from view.
The authors described the results as a starting point for the preparation and
  evaluation of synthetic antibodies for key antigens.
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