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bacteriophage. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bacteriophage, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bacteriophage in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from French bactériophage, coined by microbiologist Félix d'Hérelle, from bacterio- (“bacteria”) + -phage (“eater”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəʊˌfeɪd͡ʒ/
- enPR: bâk'tîr'ē'ə'fāj
- Hyphenation: bac‧ter‧i‧o‧phage
- Rhymes: -eɪdʒ
Noun
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
Derived terms
Translations
a virus that infects bacteria
See also