phagocytose

[fag-uh-sahy-tohs, -tohz]

verb (used with object)

phagocytosed, phagocytosing 

1. phagocytize.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phagocytose¹

First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from phagocytosis

Example Sentences

The immune cells gobble up—or, more formally, phagocytose—unneeded synapses and debris, and they look for signs of injury or invasion by pathogens.

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Microglia can consume, or phagocytose, neuron bodies and synapses, reshaping neural circuits if the cells are dying or even when they are under stress.

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