I. ˈfagəˌsīt noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary phag- + -cyte
: any cell that characteristically engulfs foreign material, is typically a leukocyte or reticuloendothelial cell and often amoeboid, and functions in the body to remove and consume debris and foreign bodies (as degenerating tissue or bacteria) — compare athrocyte
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: phagocytize