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• phage
  phage

  noun

  bacteriophage.
• -phage
  -phage

  a combining form meaning “a thing that devours,” used in the formation of compound words, especially the names of phagocytes.

phage

¹ American  

[feyj] / feɪdʒ /

noun

1. bacteriophage.

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-phage ² American  

Also -phag.

1. a combining form meaning “a thing that devours,” used in the formation of compound words, especially the names of phagocytes.

   macrophage.

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-phage ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating something that eats or consumes something specified

   bacteriophage

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phage ² British  

/ feɪdʒ /

noun

1. short for bacteriophage

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Usage

What does -phage mean? The combining form -phage is used like a suffix meaning “a thing that devours.” It is used in many scientific terms, especially in biology. The form -phage ultimately comes from the Greek phageîn, meaning “to eat, devour.” This Greek root also helps form the word esophagus. Discover the connection at our entry for the word. The word phage, referring to a bacteriophage, is a shortened or independent use of the combining form -phageClosely related to -phage are -phagia, -phagy, and -phagous. Their corresponding form combined to the beginning of words is phago-. Learn more about their specific applications at our Words That Use articles for the forms.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• -phagous
  combining form

Etymology

Origin of phage¹

By shortening, or independent use of -phage

Origin of -phage²

Noun use of Greek -phagos -phagous

Example Sentences

Yale researchers recognized that these tools could unlock new possibilities in phage biology and reached out to explore more ambitious applications.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

With NEB's Golden Gate Assembly platform, scientists can assemble an entire phage genome outside the cell using synthetic DNA, incorporating all planned genetic changes during construction.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

Traditional approaches depend on maintaining physical phage samples and using specialized host bacteria, which can be especially challenging when working with viruses that infect dangerous human pathogens.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

These changes allowed the researchers to swap tail fiber genes to change which bacteria the phage could infect and to add fluorescent markers that made infections visible in real time.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

First, Maalpe’s colleague Nils Jerne must send the phage from Copenhagen.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson