Word of the Day October 15, 2026 – נוגדנים

נוגדנים — When the Body Fights Back

Today's Hebrew word comes straight from our reading: נוגדנים (nogdanim) — antibodies.

In today’s article, we learn that sharks produce some particularly tiny, special antibodies, known as VNARs. Scientists are studying their potential for developing new medicines.

But what exactly does the Hebrew word נוגדנים mean?

It comes from the root נ־ג־ד (N-G-D), which is closely tied to the idea of opposition.

Here are some key words from this family:

• נגד (neged) — against, opposite
• להתנגד (lehitnaged) — to oppose, to resist
• התנגדות (hitnagdut) — opposition, resistance
• נוגד (noged) — something that acts against, that counters
• נוגדן (nogdan) — antibody
• נוגדנים (nogdanim) — antibodies (plural)

The connection is easy to spot.

An antibody is a protein that recognizes a specific target, known as an antigen, and helps trigger an immune system response.

So the Hebrew word נוגדן literally expresses the idea of something that opposes or counteracts a biological target.

And here's an interesting parallel with English:

The prefix anti- in "antibody" comes from Greek and means against.

Hebrew expresses a similar idea with its own root, נ־ג־ד.

Two languages, two different ways of building the same scientific concept.

Next time you come across נוגדנים, think of this progression:

נגד → נוגד → נוגדן

From against, to that which counters, to antibody.

There’s a whole scientific idea wrapped up in a familiar Hebrew root!