PHAGOCYTE - Definition

Pronunciation:		f'agus`It
WordNet Dictionary

	Definition:	[n] a cell that engulfs and digests debris and invading microorganisms

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	Synonyms:	scavenger cell

	See Also:	fixed phagocyte, free phagocyte, macrophage, somatic cell

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

	Definition:	\Phag"o*cyte\, n. [Gr. ? to eat + ? a hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) A leucocyte which plays a part in retrogressive processes by taking up (eating), in the form of fine granules, the parts to be removed.

Medical Dictionary

	Definition:	An immune system cell that can surround and kill microorganisms and remove dead cells. Phagocytes include macrophages.

Biology Dictionary

	Definition:	Any cell that engulfs and devours another.