autophagy
Americannoun
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Cell Biology. the process by which a cell breaks down and reabsorbs parts of itself using enzymes it generates.
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the act or process of consuming or digesting oneself.
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Autophagy is a cellular "housekeeping" process that promotes health by recycling or disposing of damaged DNA and RNA and other cellular components in a multi-step degradative process.
From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2024
Autophagy is induced by stresses such as starvation.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Autophagy maintains the metabolism and function of young and old stem cells.
From Nature • Jan. 23, 2018
Autophagy is also a tool that the cell uses to refuel itself if it is starving.
From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2016
Autophagy, which literally means “self-eating” in Greek, is a process of cell renewal that removes damaged proteins and organelles.
From Washington Post • Oct. 3, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
