'bacteriophagia' originates from New Latin/Neo-Latin, built from Greek elements: 'bakterion' (meaning 'small rod', used for 'bacterium') + 'phagein' (meaning 'to eat').

'bacteriophagia' was formed in Neo-Latin by combining the combining form 'bacterio-' (from 'bakterion') with the Greek-derived suffix '-phagia' (from 'phagein'), and was later adopted into English in scientific usage alongside related terms like 'bacteriophage' and 'bacteriophagy'.

Initially it referred primarily to the literal 'eating' or predation of bacteria; over time its usage expanded in microbiology to also describe bacteriophage activity (viral infection/lysis of bacteria).