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

• -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

Watson, meanwhile, had graduated and moved on to Indiana University, where he joined a cluster of scientists known as the “phage group,” whose research with viruses infecting bacteria helped launch the field of molecular biology.

From Los Angeles Times

These genetic fragments allow bacteria to use specialized enzymes and proteins to prevent new viruses, called phages, from infecting the cell.

From Science Daily

They're known as bacteria eaters, or bacteriophage, or commonly as phage.

From BBC

And phage viruses, which are viruses that infect bacteria, rather than humans, can protect us by directly attacking bacterial villains.

From Salon

"Here, we're chanelling that power in another way. Because phages can burst bacteria open, they can give us quick access to the biological components of those bacteria that we use to confirm their presence."

From Science Daily