pipette
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pipettesimple
-
pipettessimple
-
have pipettedperfect
-
has pipettedperfect
-
am pipettingprogressive
-
are pipettingprogressive
-
is pipettingprogressive
-
have been pipettingperfect progressive
-
has been pipettingperfect progressive
Past
-
pipettedsimple
-
had pipettedperfect
-
was pipettingprogressive
-
were pipettingprogressive
-
had been pipettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pipette
From French, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at pipe 1, -ette
Explanation
One of the tools in a chemistry lab is a pipette, a glass tube used to move liquids. If you were examining a chemical under your microscope, you'd use a pipette to put a drop on your slide. Some pipettes are used for measuring small amounts of liquid, but the most common use is transporting them from one place to another. When you squeeze a small bulb attached to the pipette, the vacuum you've created sucks fluid up into the slender glass instrument. Think of an eye dropper, the most commonly-used type of pipette. The word comes from Middle French, in which it means "tube."
Vocabulary lists containing pipette
Power Suffix: -ette
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Fresh Ink
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"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pipette tips aren’t the only laboratory items in short supply.
From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2020
No, it was from Pipette, and Pip sat down on a hurdle and steadied himself after reading it.
From "Pip" A Romance of Youth by Hay, Ian
"Ah, now you are getting nearer," said Pipette.
From "Pip" A Romance of Youth by Hay, Ian
"So you must escort Miss Innes, Pip," said Pipette hastily.
From "Pip" A Romance of Youth by Hay, Ian
"Not bewwy much, I don't fink," said Pipette; "this handle thing's still pretty full."
From "Pip" A Romance of Youth by Hay, Ian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
