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Glite Dictionary
Rh antibody

Rh antibody

6.5
A substance the body makes that attacks the Rh factor on red blood cells and can cause problems in pregnancy
  • noun
  • /ɑr eɪtʃ ˈæntɪˌbodi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anticuerpo Rh
  • The presence of Rh antibody can cause complications in blood transfusions.

Examples

  • Testing for Rh antibody is a routine part of prenatal care.

  • If the mother has an Rh antibody, special precautions may be needed during pregnancy.

  • The doctor tested for Rh antibodies before the transfusion.

  • Is it necessary to check Rh antibodies during pregnancy?

  • Doctors monitor the levels of Rh antibody during pregnancy to ensure the health of the baby.

  • An Rh antibody test is vital in determining compatibility before a blood transfusion.

  • Complications may arise if the mother's Rh antibody levels are not managed during pregnancy.

Surface Forms

Rh antibody singular
Rh antibodies plural

Morphology

Rh + antibody

The noun phrase 'Rh antibody' is compositionally built from 'Rh' (the Rhesus antigen on red blood cells) and 'antibody' (a protein that targets antigens), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it means an antibody directed against the Rh factor. The clinical implications (transfusions/pregnancy) are additional context but not needed to derive the basic meaning, and the formation is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common noun–noun compound.

Etymology

Rh antibody may come from early studies with Rhesus monkeys: scientists called a blood feature Rh, and an antibody is a protein that fights things the body sees as not part of it. So a Rh antibody is a protein that can 'attack' the Rh feature on red blood cells, and that is why it can cause problems in pregnancy or blood transfusions.