agar

[ ah-gahr, ag-er ]

/ ˈɑ gɑr, ˈæg ər /

noun

Also a·gar-a·gar. Also called Chinese gelatin, Chinese isinglass, Japanese gelatin, Japanese isinglass. 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.

Nearby words

aganglionosis, agapanthus, agape, agapetus i, agapetus ii, agar, agaric, agaric acid, agaric mineral, agaricaceous, agaricin

Origin of agar

First recorded in 1885–90, agar is from the Malay word agaragar seaweed from which a gelatin is rendered, or the gelatin itself

Definition for agar (2 of 2)

Agar

[ ey-gahr ]

/ ˈeɪ gɑr /

noun Douay Bible.

Hagar.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for agar

It is a mega-leap from the agar and test-tube finding to real patients and their delicate lungs.
Big Tobacco, Not MRSA, Is the Real Problem With E-Cigarettes|Kent Sepkowitz|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Sheikh of Agar received us well this time, sending us two fowls and supper for our people.
Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1|James Richardson
Agar and I had five curtain calls, and on leaving the theatre the students ranged on each side gave me three cheers.
My Double Life|Sarah Bernhardt
Dissolve the agar by passing live steam through it, as in preparing nutrient agar.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre

Major Agar made no statements on this point, though he listened with sympathy to the assertions of others.
From One Generation to Another|Henry Seton Merriman
Agar plates, litmus, glucose broth and a sheet of clean paper were at the same time exposed in the box.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for agar

agar

/ (ˈeɪɡə) /

noun

a complex gelatinous carbohydrate obtained from seaweeds, esp those of the genus Gelidium, used as a culture medium for bacteria, a laxative, in food such as ice cream as a thickening agent (E406), etcAlso called: agar-agar

Word Origin for agar

C19: Malay

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

Medicine definitions for agar

agar

[ ā′gär′, ä′gär′ ]

n.

A gelatinous material derived from marine algae, used as a base for bacterial culture media and as a stabilizer and thickener in food.

A culture medium containing this material.

Science definitions for agar

agar

[ ā′gär′, ä′gär′ ]

A gelatinous material obtained from marine algae, especially seaweed, used as a medium for growing bacterial cultures in the laboratory and as a thickener and stabilizer in food products.