phage
noun/feɪd͡ʒ/
Etymology From Ancient Greek -φάγος (-phágos, “eater”), from φαγ- (phag-), aorist stem of ἐσθίω (esthíō), ἔδω (édō, “to eat, to consume”).
1
Biology, Microbiology, Natural sciences, Virology A virus that is parasitic on bacteria.
- "The plural word phages refers to different types of phage, whereas in common usage the word phage can be both singular and plural, referring in the plural sense to particles of the same type of phage." Maloy et al: Microbial Genetics, 2nd ed., 1984, →ISBN, p. 81
- Synonyms
- bacteriophage
- Derived terms
- antiphage, campylophage, endophage, enterophage, erythrophage, exophage, fluorophage, megaphage, multiphage, myophage, nonphage, pelagiphage, phage therapy, phagic, phagocidal, prophage
- Related terms
- virophage