agar

[ah-gahr, ag-er]

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.

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

Agar

[ey-gahr]

noun Douay Bible.

Hagar.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for agar

Contemporary Examples of 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

Historical Examples of agar

I coughed, and Agar, who had taken my arm-chair, wanted to give it me back.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
On leaving my two friends I drove straight to Agar's to tell her what had happened.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Agar was to be introduced by Princess Mathilde, to whom she was then sitting as Minerva.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Bring some more cakes, and tell Miss Agar to come and pour out the tea.
Olive in Italy
Moray Dalton
Weigh out French maltose, 40 grammes, and dissolve in the agar.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique
John William Henry Eyre

British Dictionary definitions for agar

agar

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

agar in Medicine

agar

[ā′gär′, ä′gär′]

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.

agar in Science

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.