Meanings
plural phages
- biologyA virus that is parasitic on bacteria.
"The plural word phages refers to different types of phage, whereas in common usage the word phage can be both singular and plural, referring in the plural sense to particles of the same type of phage." Maloy et al: Microbial Genetics, 2nd ed., 1984, →ISBN, p. 81
Synonyms: bacteriophage
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA virus that is parasitic on bacteria.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greek-φάγος“eater”
- Englishphage
Clipping of bacteriophage from bacterio- (“bacteria”) + -phage (“eater”); latter suffix from Ancient Greek -φάγος (-phágos, “eater”), from φαγ- (phag-), aorist stem of ἐσθίω (esthíō) or ἔδω (édō, “to eat, to consume”). Stem φαγ- (phag-) may also derive from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (“to divide, distribute”) thus ultimately doublet of bhakti (via Sanskrit भक्ति (bhakti, “portion, division”) from root भज् (bhaj, “to divide, to apportion”)).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with phage
Anagrams
Cite this entry
phage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phage
“phage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phage. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phage,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phage.
Source: phage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.