Also called Japanese isinglass, Japanese gelatin, Chinese gelatin, Chinese isinglass. Also agar-agar. a gelatinlike product of certain seaweeds, used for solidifying certain culture media, as a thickening agent for ice cream and other foods, as a substitute for gelatin, in adhesives, as an emulsifier, etc.
Biology. a culture medium having an agar base.
First recorded in 1885–90, agar is from the Malay word agaragar seaweed from which a gelatin is rendered, or the gelatin itself
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Pearson tried the screening method using organ agar, her team found that the dominant bacteria reproduced those that were dominant in a live animal.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023
What's more, bacteria that did not do well on organ agar also did not do well in a live animal.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023
Limoncello “pearls” created with the help of lemon and agar agar.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2023
Chloe swabs parts of her body, or plants, and transfers the samples to petri dishes with a special growth medium inside called agar.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2022
We can imagine them, curious and dispassionate, observing us, as we would watch a bacterial culture in a dish of agar, to determine whether, this year again, we manage to avoid self- destruction.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
As a result, Yingchao has been visiting the Agar Children's Centre's stay-and-play sessions with her now three-month-old baby.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
When the news broke and Agar was presented with his baggy green cap by Glenn McGrath, Cricket Australia's own website called it "one of the biggest Ashes bombshells in history".
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
The initial plan was for Agar to play some club cricket for Henley in the Home Counties League, then join the Australia A tour.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
Agar, the teenager who was not supposed to be on the tour, walked out to bat.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
In the evening, Mother called Dr. Agar, our family doctor.
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
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