prophage: Meaning and Definition of

pro•phage

Pronunciation: (prō'fāj"), [key]
— n. Microbiol.
  1. a stable, inherited form of bacteriophage in which the genetic material of the virus is integrated into, replicated, and expressed with the genetic material of the bacterial host.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.