autophagy.
The process of self-digestion by a cell through the action of enzymes originating within the same cell, and often a defensive or self-preservation measure.
Meaning & usage
The process of self-digestion by a cell through the action of enzymes originating within the same cell, and often a defensive or self-preservation measure.
A type of programmed cell death accomplished through self-digestion.
Self-consumption; the act of eating oneself.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew Proto-Indo-European *tó- Proto-Hellenic *autós Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder. Ancient Greek αὖ (aû) Ancient Greek τόν (tón) Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor. English auto- Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂g-der. Ancient Greek ἔφᾰγον (éphăgon) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -φᾰγίᾱ (-phăgíā)lbor. English -phagy English autophagy From auto- + -phagy.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.