noun
macrophage
A type of white blood cell that engulfs and digests foreign particles; a direct translation of the English term 'macrophage'. Used in medical and biological contexts.
See also: マクロファージ
大食細胞は体内の異物を食べる役割を持つ。
Macrophages have the role of eating foreign substances in the body.
The katakana loanword 'マクロファージ' is more common in modern medical contexts, while '大食細胞' is a direct kanji translation used in some biological texts.
A compound of 大食 (たいしょく, 'eating a lot') and 細胞 (さいぼう, 'cell'), directly translating the concept of a macrophage.