— bacteriophagic /bak tear'ee euh faj"ik, -fay"jik/ , bacteriophagous /bak tear'ee of"euh geuhs/ , adj. — bacteriophagy /bak tear'ee of"euh jee/ , n.
/bak tear"ee euh fayj'/ , n.
any of a group of viruses that infect specific bacteria, usually causing their disintegration or dissolution. Also called phage .
[ 1920-25; bactériophage. See BACTERIO-, -PHAGE ]