agar

¹ American  

[ah-gahr, ag-er] / ˈɑ gɑr, ˈæg ər /

noun

1. Also called Japanese isinglass.  Also called Japanese gelatin.  Also called Chinese gelatin.  Also called 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.

2. Biology. a culture medium having an agar base.

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Agar ² American  

[ey-gahr] / ˈeɪ gɑr /

noun

Douay Bible.

1. Hagar.

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agar British  

/ ˈeɪɡə /

noun

1. Also called: agar-agar.  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 ), etc

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agar Scientific  

/ ā′gär′,ä′gär′ /

1. 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.

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Researchers created a system where mature, green orchids were connected to developing, chlorophyll-free seedlings through a fungal network grown on agar.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024

To identify the animals with mutations that made them fertile again, the researchers put the nematodes on agar plates filled with yummy bacteria.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2024

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