What does phagocytosis mean?
Phagocytosis is the process by which a cell surrounds, engulfs, and digests a solid particle. It is especially important in immunity: cells such as macrophages and neutrophils use phagocytosis to take in bacteria, dead cells, and other foreign material, then destroy it through intracellular chemical processes. The word also describes comparable engulfment in other biological situations. In medical and scientific writing, it is used as a precise name for a cellular mechanism rather than as a general synonym for eating or absorbing something. Its Greek components reflect this basic meaning: the term combines ideas associated with eating, cells, and a process or condition. Phagocytosis is consequently useful in discussions of infection, inflammation, immune defence, cell biology, and the development of medicines that influence how cells engulf and process their targets.
nounThe cellular process in which a cell engulfs and digests solid material, such as bacteria, dead cells, or other particles. It is an important part of immune defence and also occurs in other biological contexts.
- The biological process by which a cell engulfs and digests solid particles, especially microbes or cellular debris.
"The cells engulf the bacteria by phagocytosis before breaking them down."
"Macrophages carry out phagocytosis to remove bacteria and damaged cells from infected tissue."
"The drug was reported to inhibit phagocytosis by disrupting the activity of immune cells."
The plural is used when referring to separate occurrences of the process, especially in scientific writing.
"The researchers observed multiple phagocytoses of the labelled particles."
Phagocytosis is the cellular equivalent of swallowing: specialised immune cells engulf and digest their targets, helping the body clear away microbes and debris.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phagocytosis come from?
The word comes from Greek roots meaning “eating,” “cell,” and “process” or “condition.” It was developed in the scientific vocabulary of the nineteenth century alongside related terms such as phagocyte and phagocytic, which refer to a cell capable of engulfing particles and to the adjectival description of this process. The form phagocytose is a related verb meaning to engulf and digest by this cellular process.
How phagocytosis is actually used
This is a formal scientific term, used especially in biology, medicine, and immunology. It names a cellular process rather than the cell or the individual act of engulfment, and is normally used in technical and academic writing.