acid-fast
[as-id-fast, -fahst]
- resistant to decolorizing by acidified alcohol after staining.
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Origin of acid-fast
First recorded in 1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for acid-fast
Historical Examples
The acid-fast bacteria are particularly rich in fatty substances, especially the higher wax-like fats.
The Fundamentals of BacteriologyCharles Bradfield Morrey
Other bacteria than the acid-fast group are stained blue by Gabbet's method.
A Manual of Clinical DiagnosisJames Campbell Todd
This method is supposed to differentiate between B. tuberculosis and other acid-fast micro-organisms.
The Elements of Bacteriological TechniqueJohn William Henry Eyre
acid-fast
- (of bacteria and tissues) resistant to decolorization by mineral acids after staining
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
acid-fast
- Of or relating to bacteria that are not decolorized by an acidic alcohol solution after they have been stained.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.