Macrophage
/ˈmæk.rəˌfeɪdʒ/noun
A large immune cell that engulfs and digests pathogens, dead cells, and cellular debris.
Did you know?The concept of macrophages emerged from Élie Metchnikoff’s late-19th-century studies of phagocytosis, which helped establish cellular immunity and earned him the 1908 Nobel Prize.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meg-
“Great or large; the ancient root behind the first element.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
makrós
“Long or large; the source of macro-.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phageîn
“To eat or devour; the source of -phage.”
19th Century
Scientific Greek
makrophágos
“Large-eating or devouring; a Greek-built scientific formation.”
1880s
English
macrophage
“A large phagocytic cell, especially one that engulfs foreign matter and cellular debris.”
Modern English
English
macrophage
“A tissue-resident or recruited immune cell that consumes pathogens, dead cells, and debris.”