verb
- past tense of phagocytize; engulfed and digested by a phagocyte (a type of immune cell)
Usage: medical; biology
Examples
- The bacteria were quickly phagocytized by white blood cells.
- Dead tissue cells are phagocytized and removed from the wound site.
- The macrophages phagocytized the foreign particles in the lung tissue.
- Cancer cells that were phagocytized showed signs of being broken down.
- The immune system’s response included having pathogens phagocytized by specialized cells.