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

The agar plates with sterile worms died off before they could clean their plate, allowing the bacteria to flourish.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2024

In a recent paper in the journal Infection and Immunity, her group describes a product called organ agar that could be deployed to more efficiently screen bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023

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