What does antibody mean?
Word: Antibody
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Antibody means a substance that the blood makes to fight a particular germ or infection.
How do you spell antibody?
Syllables: an - ti - bod - y
Tricky part: It begins with anti, meaning against, not ante, meaning before. Because the i in anti is said quickly, students often write antebody or antybody.
Watch out for: antebody, antybody
Memory tip: An antibody works against germs, and anti is the part that means against, as in anticlockwise.
Antibody in a sentence
Example 1: After the vaccine, Jonah's blood made antibodies against measles.
Example 2: A newborn baby gets some antibodies from its mother's milk.
Example 3: Our science teacher drew an antibody on the board, shaped like the letter Y.
Fun Fact
Each kind of antibody fits only one kind of germ, a little like a key that fits one lock. That is why a measles vaccine does not protect you from chickenpox.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) vacinate
b) imunity
c) antibody
d) bactiria
Show answer
c) antibody. Immunity needs mm, bacteria has an e after the t and vaccinate needs cc, so only antibody is right.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
dinaytob
a) notably
b) anybody
c) antibody
d) antidote
Show answer
c) antibody. Anybody has no t or i, antidote has no b and notably needs an l, so only antibody uses all eight letters.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
antiboddy
a) b
b) d
c) y
d) o
Show answer
b) d. Body, the second half of the word, has a single d.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
At the health camp, the doctor explained how an antibody grabs hold of a germ in the bloodstrem.
a) antibody
b) doctor
c) bloodstrem
d) explained
Show answer
c) bloodstrem. Bloodstream joins blood and stream, and stream has ea.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the main job of an antibody?
a) to send messages to the brain
b) to help fight off germs
c) to carry oxygen to the lungs
d) to break down food in the stomach
Show answer
b) to help fight off germs
2. Where are antibodies mostly found?
a) in the nails
b) in the blood
c) in the teeth
d) in the hair
Show answer
b) in the blood
