bacteriophage
any of a group of viruses that infect specific bacteria, usually causing their disintegration or dissolution.
Origin of bacteriophage
1- Also called phage.
Other words from bacteriophage
- bac·te·ri·o·phag·ic [bak-teer-ee-uh-faj-ik, -fey-jik], /bækˌtɪər i əˈfædʒ ɪk, -ˈfeɪ dʒɪk/, bac·te·ri·oph·a·gous [bak-teer-ee-of-uh-guhs], /bækˌtɪər iˈɒf ə gəs/, adjective
- bac·te·ri·oph·a·gy [bak-teer-ee-of-uh-jee], /bækˌtɪər iˈɒf ə dʒi/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for bacteriophage
/ (bækˈtɪərɪəˌfeɪdʒ) /
a virus that is parasitic in a bacterium and multiplies within its host, which is destroyed when the new viruses are released: Often shortened to: phage
Derived forms of bacteriophage
- bacteriophagic (bækˌtɪərɪəˈfædʒɪk), adjective
- bacteriophagous (bækˌtɪərɪˈɒfəɡəs), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for bacteriophage
[ băk-tîr′ē-ə-fāj′ ]
A virus that infects and destroys bacterial cells.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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