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bacteriophage

[bak-teer-ee-uh-feyj]

Origin

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noun

any of a group of viruses that infect specific bacteria, usually causing their disintegration or dissolution.

Also called phage.

Origin:
1920–25; < French bactériophage. See bacterio-, -phage

Related forms

bac·te·ri·o·phag·ic

[bak-teer-ee-uh-faj-ik, -fey-jik] , bac·te·ri·oph·a·gous

[bak-teer-ee-of-uh-guhs] , adjective

bac·te·ri·oph·a·gy

[bak-teer-ee-of-uh-jee] , noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To bacteriophage

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Bacteriophage has a plethora of syllables.

So is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Does it mean:

an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.

(used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.)

LEARN MORE LONG WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

bacteriophage (bækˈtɪərɪəˌfeɪdʒ)

—n
	Often shortened to: phage a virus that is parasitic in a bacterium and multiplies within its host, which is destroyed when the new viruses are released

bacteriophagic

—*adj*

bacteriophagous

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bacteriophage

1921, from Fr. bactériophage (1917), from bacterio-, comb. form of bacteria + -phage (see -phagous).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

bacteriophage bac·te·ri·o·phage (bāk-tēr'ē-ə-fāj')
n.
A virus capbale of infecting and lysing bacterial cells. Also called phage.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

bacteriophage

(bāk-tîr'ē-ə-fāj') Pronunciation Key
A virus that infects and destroys bacterial cells.