The process of cells consuming or breaking down other cells, often referring to the feeding behavior of single-celled organisms or immune system activity.
From Greek 'kytos' (cell) + 'phagein' (to eat) + '-y' (noun suffix). This noun form describes the act or process of cell consumption.
Autophagy, where cells eat their own damaged parts, and phagocytosis, where immune cells eat invaders, are both forms of cytophagy—it's a fundamental cellular behavior that cells use for both survival and defense.
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