phagocyte

noun

phago·​cyte ˈfa-gə-ˌsīt 

: a cell (such as a macrophage or neutrophil) that engulfs and consumes foreign material (such as microorganisms) and debris (such as dead tissue cells)

phagocytic

ˌfa-gə-ˈsi-tik 

adjective

Examples of phagocyte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And eventually the cell just disintegrates and gets eaten by circulating phagocytes. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

Some immune cells, like phagocytes, produce reactive oxygen species to kill microbes. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 21 Oct. 2024

The target cell breaks down to nothing inside the phagocyte without stimulating inflammation or other side effects. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022

Metchnikoff didn’t immediately assume that these phagocytes are specialized for disease fighting and pathogen removal alone. —Quanta Magazine, 11 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek phagein + New Latin -cyta -cyte

First Known Use

circa 1884, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing phagocyte

• mononuclear phagocyte system

Kids Definition

phagocyte

noun

phago·​cyte ˈfag-ə-ˌsīt 

: a cell (as a white blood cell) that takes in and breaks down foreign material (as bacteria) and waste

Medical Definition

phagocyte

1 of 2 noun

phago·​cyte ˈfag-ə-ˌsīt 

: a cell (as a macrophage or neutrophil) that engulfs and consumes foreign material (as microorganisms) and debris (as dead tissue cells)

phagocyte

2 of 2 transitive verb

phagocyted; phagocyting

: phagocytose