bacteriophage

bac·ter·i·o·phage
B3A1C3T1E1R1I1O1P3H4A1G2E1
/bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəʊˌfeɪd͡ʒ/

noun

A virus that specifically infects bacteria.

Similar
phage
OriginFrench bactériophage ← Ancient Greek φάγος (phágos) ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂g- →
Less commonScrabble 23
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Meanings

nounbacteriophage (plural bacteriophages)

plural bacteriophages

  1. biologyA virus that specifically infects bacteria.

    Another possibility is to enlist a bacteriophage, a kind of virus, to hunt down and kill harmful bacteria for us.

    2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 54

    Synonyms: phage

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA virus that specifically infects bacteria.

Similar
phage

More synonyms by meaning

nouna virus that is parasitic (reproduces itself) in bacteria

Similar
phage
Broader
virus
Also see
bacteriovirusphage

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  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. Englishbacteriophage

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

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque bakteriofago
  • bakteriofagoa virus that infects bacteria
Catalan bacteriòfag
  • bacteriòfaga virus that infects bacteria
Chinese Mandarin 噬菌體 /噬菌体
  • 噬菌體 /噬菌体 (shìjūntǐ, shìjùntǐ)a virus that infects bacteria
Czech bakteriofág
  • bakteriofága virus that infects bacteria
Danish bakteriofag
  • bakteriofaga virus that infects bacteria
Finnish bakteriofagi, faagi
  • bakteriofagia virus that infects bacteria
  • faagia virus that infects bacteria
French bactériophage
  • bactériophagea virus that infects bacteria
German Bakteriophage
  • Bakteriophagea virus that infects bacteria
Greek βακτηριοφάγος, φάγος
  • βακτηριοφάγος (vaktiriofágos)a virus that infects bacteria
  • φάγος (fágos)a virus that infects bacteria
Hindi जीवाणुभोजी
  • जीवाणुभोजी (jīvāṇubhojī)a virus that infects bacteria
Hungarian bakteriofág
  • bakteriofága virus that infects bacteria
Icelandic bakteríuveira, faga
  • bakteríuveiraa virus that infects bacteria
  • fagaa virus that infects bacteria
  • gerilveiraa virus that infects bacteria
  • gerilætaa virus that infects bacteria
Indonesian bakteriofag
  • bakteriofaga virus that infects bacteria
Irish baictéarafagach
  • baictéarafagacha virus that infects bacteria
Japanese バクテリオファージ
  • バクテリオファージ (bakuteriofuāji)a virus that infects bacteria
Korean 박테리오파지
  • 박테리오파지 (bakteriopaji)a virus that infects bacteria
Latin bacteriophagum
  • bacteriophaguma virus that infects bacteria
Latvian bakteriofāgs
  • bakteriofāgsa virus that infects bacteria
Malay bakteriofaj
  • bakteriofaja virus that infects bacteria
Norwegian Bokmål bakteriofag
  • bakteriofaga virus that infects bacteria
Polish bakteriofag
  • bakteriofaga virus that infects bacteria
Portuguese bacteriófago
  • bacteriófagoa virus that infects bacteria
Spanish bacteriófago
  • bacteriófagoa virus that infects bacteria
Turkish bakteriyofaj
  • bakteriyofaja virus that infects bacteria
Vietnamese thực khuẩn thể
  • thực khuẩn thểa virus that infects bacteria

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bacteriophage

pageagestagemgwagegaugeengagesagecageragegagebeigebackstagemageunderagePaigeOsagephagemacrophageplagepresagedisengageoverageassuage
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

bacteriophage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bacteriophage

MLA

“bacteriophage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bacteriophage. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bacteriophage,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bacteriophage.

Source: bacteriophage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.