[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/phage/)

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# phage

noun (a phage, phages); short for bacteriophage

«phage» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) A tiny virus that attacks and kills bacteria, not people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#m1)
2. (fragment) A word ending meaning "eater", as in "macrophage" (a white blood cell that eats germs). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and medicine, phages look like tiny space landers; they inject their genes into bacteria. Doctors are testing phage therapy to fight bacteria that antibiotics cannot kill. The ending "-phage" means "eat" in Greek.

### Examples

- A phage is a virus that infects bacteria. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x1)
- Phages look like tiny moon landers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x2)
- Scientists use phages to fight resistant bacteria. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x3)
- Phages are harmless to human cells. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x4)
- A macrophage is a white blood cell that eats germs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x5)
- There are more phages on Earth than stars in the sky, scientists estimate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Pronounced "FAYJ". Full name: bacteriophage. Related Greek words: -phagy, sarcophagus (originally "flesh-eater"). It is a science word, not everyday English.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «phage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phage/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«phage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/phage.html) on Mova free.