Standard Lemma guide

autophagy

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ɔˈtɑfəd͡ʒi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, cytology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: autocytolysis

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: autocytolysis

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A type of programmed cell death accomplished through self-digestion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, cytology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Self-consumption; the act of eating oneself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, rare, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From auto- + -phagy.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: аўтафагі́я (awtafahíja) — the process of self-digestion
  • Bengali: আত্মভক্ষণ (attobhokkhon) — the process of self-digestion
  • Bengali: অটোফেজি (oṭōpheji) — the process of self-digestion
  • Bulgarian: автофагия (avtofagija) — the process of self-digestion
  • Catalan: autofàgia — the process of self-digestion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自噬 (zìshì) — the process of self-digestion
  • Czech: autofagie — the process of self-digestion
  • Dutch: autofagie — the process of self-digestion
  • Finnish: autofagia — the process of self-digestion
  • French: autophagie — the process of self-digestion
  • Galician: autofaxia — the process of self-digestion
  • German: Autophagie — the process of self-digestion
  • Greek: αυτοφαγία (aftofagía) — the process of self-digestion
  • Hebrew: אוֹטוֹפַגְיָה — the process of self-digestion
  • Indonesian: autofagi — the process of self-digestion
  • Italian: autofagia — the process of self-digestion
  • Japanese: オートファジー (ōtofajī) — the process of self-digestion
  • Kazakh: автофагия (avtofagiä) — the process of self-digestion
  • Korean: 오토파지 (otopaji) — the process of self-digestion
  • Latvian: autofāgija — the process of self-digestion
  • Lithuanian: autofagija — the process of self-digestion
  • Macedonian: автофагија (avtofagija) — the process of self-digestion
  • Norwegian Bokmål: autofagi — the process of self-digestion
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: autofagi — the process of self-digestion
  • Polish: autofagia — the process of self-digestion
  • Polish: autofagocytoza — the process of self-digestion
  • Portuguese: autofagia — the process of self-digestion
  • Russian: аутофа́гия (autofágija) — the process of self-digestion
  • Serbo-Croatian: аутофа̀гија — the process of self-digestion
  • Serbo-Croatian: autofàgija — the process of self-digestion
  • Slovene: avtofagija — the process of self-digestion
  • Spanish: autofagia — the process of self-digestion
  • Swedish: autofagi — the process of self-digestion
  • Turkish: otofaji — the process of self-digestion
  • Ukrainian: автофагі́я (avtofahíja) — the process of self-digestion
  • Vietnamese: tự thực — the process of self-digestion
  • Vietnamese: tự ăn mình — the process of self-digestion