n. sing. & pl. a virus which infects bacteria; -- also colloquially called phage in laboratory jargon. Bacteriophages are of many varieties, generally specific for one or a narrow range of bacterial species, and almost every bacterium is susceptible to at least one bacteriophage. They may have DNA or RNA as their genetic component. Certain types of bacteriophage, called
temperate bacteriophage, may infect but not kill their host bacteria, residing in and replicating either as a plasmid or integrated into the host genome. Under certain conditions, a resident temperate phage may become induced to multiply rapidly and vegetatively, killing and lysing its host bacterium, and producing multiple progeny. The lambda phage of Eschericia coli, much studied in biochemical and genetic research, is of the temperate type. [ PJC ]

a. (Anat.) Circumesophagal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Pertaining to the esophagus. [ Written also œsophageal. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Esophageal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A large phagocyte. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n., a., etc. Same as Esophagus, Esophageal, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. phagedaena, Gr. fage`daina, fr. fagei^n to eat. ] (Med.) (a) A canine appetite; bulimia. [ Obs. ] (b) Spreading, obstinate ulceration. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. phagedaenicus, Gr. fagedainiko`s: cf. F. phagédénique. ] (Med.) Of, like, or pertaining to, phagedena; used in the treatment of phagedena; as, a phagedenic ulcer or medicine. -- n. A phagedenic medicine. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Phagedenic. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Situated beneath the esophagus. [ Written also suboesophageal. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Subesophageal ganglion (Zool.), a large special ganglion situated beneath the esophagus of arthropods, annelids, and some other invertebrates. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. (Bot. & Zool.) Situated above, or on the dorsal side of, the esophagus; as, the supra-esophageal ganglion of Crustacea. [ Written also supra-oesophagal, and supra-oesophageal. ] [ 1913 Webster ]