phage

1 of 2

noun

plural phages also phage
: a virus that infects bacteria : bacteriophage
They cloned the antibody genes and inserted them into phage, a virus that infects bacteria cells.Teresa L. White
Bacteriophages, also known simply as phages, came to light around 90 years ago, when two European scientists independently discovered that there are viruses that kill bacteria.John Travis

-phage

2 of 2

noun combining form

: virus or cell that destroys cells
bacteriophage
microphage

Examples of phage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Different treatments, such as antibiotics, phage therapy, and probiotics, are available, each with unique challenges and opportunities. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Bacteria can develop resistance to a phage by evolving to have different surface markers, so the phage can no longer recognize it. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 When the bacterium hosting the phage begins to exhibit a lot of DNA damage, that would normally signal to the phage to break out and find a host with a longer life expectancy. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2022 Undergraduate phage hunters at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County isolated a satellite phage called MiniFlayer from the soil bacterium Streptomyces scabiei. The Conversation, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 In 1976, phage MS2 was the first organism to have its genome — a mere four genes — sequenced. Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2019 For more than a century researchers have tried to use phages as a treatment for bacterial infections. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 30 July 2023 Strathdee reached out to scientists publishing phage research at the time. Popular Science, 12 Oct. 2023 The clear spots are areas where phage have killed the bacterium. David A. Shaywitz, WSJ, 4 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening

Noun combining form

Greek -phagos one that eats, from -phagos -phagous

First Known Use

Noun

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phage was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near phage

Cite this Entry

“Phage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phage

noun
ˈfāj How to pronounce phage (audio)
 also  ˈfäzh

Medical Definition

phage

noun
plural phages also phage
: a virus that infects bacteria : bacteriophage
To infect a host bacterium, a phage will first interact with receptors on the host cell, adsorb and then inject its genome.George P. C. Salmond and Peter C. Fineran, Nature Reviews Microbiology
Phages have various possible life cycles which, along with interaction with their physical environment, dictate their role in bacterial/archaeal biology.Martha R. J. Clokie et al., Bacteriophage

More from Merriam-Webster on phage

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