macrophage
[ mak-ruh-feyj ]
/ Ë?mæk rəˌfeɪdÊ’ /
Save This Word!
noun Cell Biology.
a large white blood cell, occurring principally in connective tissue and in the bloodstream, that ingests foreign particles and infectious microorganisms by phagocytosis.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE MANY TYPES OF NOUNS
They're everywhere you turn, but can you identify the 10 types of nouns easily? This quiz will test your mettle against singular, plural, concrete, abstract, common, proper, collective, compound, countable, and uncountable nouns!
Question 1 of 7
Shoelaces, rainbow, toothpaste, and haircuts are all what type of noun?
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of macrophage
OTHER WORDS FROM macrophage
mac·ro·phag·ic [mak-ruh-faj-ik], /ËŒmæk rÉ™Ë?fædÊ’ ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby macrophage
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for macrophage
macrophage
/ (Ë?mækrəʊˌfeɪdÊ’) /
noun
any large phagocytic cell occurring in the blood, lymph, and connective tissue of vertebratesSee also histiocyte
Derived forms of macrophage
macrophagic (ËŒmækrəʊË?fædʒɪk), adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for macrophage
macrophage
[ mÄ?k′rÉ™-fÄ?j′ ]
n.
Any of the large phagocytic cells found in the reticuloendothelial system.
Other words from macrophage
mac′ro•phag′ic (-fÄ?j′Äk) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for macrophage
macrophage
[ mÄ?k′rÉ™-fÄ?j′ ]
Any of various large white blood cells that play an essential immunologic role in vertebrates and some lower organisms by eliminating cellular debris and particulate antigens, including bacteria, through phagocytosis. Macrophages develop from circulating monocytes that migrate from the blood into tissues throughout the body, especially the spleen, liver, lymph nodes, lungs, brain, and connective tissue. Macrophages also participate in the immune response by producing and responding to inflammatory cytokines.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.