bacteriophage
See also: bactériophage
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French bactériophage, coined by microbiologist Félix d'Hérelle, from bacterio- (“bacteria”) + -phage (“eater”).
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəʊˌfeɪd͡ʒ/
- enPR: bâk'tîr'ē'ə'fāj
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: bac‧ter‧i‧o‧phage
- Rhymes: -eɪdʒ
Noun edit
bacteriophage (plural bacteriophages)
- (microbiology, virology) A virus that specifically infects bacteria.
- 2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 54:
- Another possibility is to enlist a bacteriophage, a kind of virus, to hunt down and kill harmful bacteria for us.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
a virus that infects bacteria
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