bacteriophage

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

• IPA^(key): /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəʊˌfeɪd͡ʒ/
• enPR: bâk'tîr'ē'ə'fāj

• Audio (US)

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• Hyphenation: bac‧ter‧i‧o‧phage
• Rhymes: -eɪdʒ

bacteriophage (plural bacteriophages)

1. (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.

• phage

• virophage