Etymology
Advertisement

macrophage (n.)

"type of large white blood cell with the power to devour foreign debris in the body or other cells or organisms," 1890, from macro- "large" + -phage "eater."

Entries linking to macrophage

macro- 

word-forming element meaning "long, abnormally large, on a large scale," taken into English via French and Medieval Latin from Greek makros "long, large," from PIE root *mak- "long, thin."

-phage 

word-forming element meaning "eater," from stem of Greek phagein "to eat," from PIE root *bhag- "to share out, apportion; to get a share."

updated on October 27, 2018

Advertisement
Advertisement

Dictionary entries near macrophage

macroeconomics

macroinstruction

macromolecule

macron

macropaedia

macrophage

macrophotography

macroscopic

macrospore

macula

macular

© 2001-2023 Douglas Harper