The technical term for one cell eating another is phagocytosis. That word derives from the Greek word phageîn, which means to eat. So the macrophages are big (macro) eaters. These cells are like the love child of a janitor and a cop who eats first and asks questions later. They attack cells in the region that might be damaged or infected by consuming them and then chemically blitzing the devoured particles. These macrophages derive from and are a subset of a broad group of immune cells known as monocytes. Some monocytes turn into macrophages. But others take on a very different function.
