Etymology

bacteriophage

bac·ter·i·o·phage
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Today it means: A virus that specifically infects bacteria. Full definition →

French bactériophage ← Ancient Greek φάγος (phágos) ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂g-
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekβακτηρία (baktēría)
  2. Ancient Greekβακτήριον (baktḗrion)
  3. New Latinbactērium
  4. Frenchbactério-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂g-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂g-
  7. Ancient Greekφᾰγ- (phăg-)
  8. Ancient Greekφάγος (phágos)
  9. Frenchbactériophage
  10. English todaybacteriophage

Borrowed from French bactériophage, coined by microbiologist Félix d'Hérelle, from bacterio- (“bacteria”) + -phage (“eater”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.