antiphagocytic
|an-ti-pha-go-cy-tic|
/ˌæn.ti.fæɡəˈsɪtɪk/
resists being eaten by phagocytes
Etymology
'antiphagocytic' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'phagocytic' (from Greek 'phagein', meaning 'to eat', via Neo-Latin roots relating to 'phagocyte'/'phagocytosis').
'phagocytosis' and 'phagocyte' were coined in the late 19th century (by Élie Metchnikoff and contemporaries) from Greek/Neo-Latin elements; 'phagocytic' derived from these, and 'antiphagocytic' was formed by adding the prefix 'anti-' to mean 'against phagocytosis'.
Initially the roots literally meant 'against eating' or 'against the action of eating cells,' and it evolved into the technical sense 'resisting ingestion/destruction by phagocytic cells' used in modern biology and medicine.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
preventing, resisting, or reducing phagocytosis — i.e., hindering ingestion or destruction by phagocytic cells (such as neutrophils or macrophages).
The bacterium's antiphagocytic capsule prevents neutrophils from engulfing it.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/06 17:00