celloidin

American  

[suh-loi-din] / səˈlɔɪ dɪn /

noun

1. a concentrated form of pyroxylin used to embed tissues for cutting and microscopic examination.

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celloidin British  

/ səˈlɔɪdɪn /

noun

1. a nitrocellulose compound derived from pyroxylin, used in a solution of alcohol and ether for embedding specimens before cutting sections for microscopy

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Etymology

Origin of celloidin

First recorded in 1880–85; cell(ulose) + -oid + -in ²

Example Sentences

"The quality of DNA in old celloidin specimens will require careful evaluation."

From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2012

Many of the samples are preserved in celloidin, a hard, rubbery and highly flammable form of cellulose.

From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2012

When they retrieved the samples, the celloidin had broken down into little beads.

From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2012

Many of the samples fixed in celloidin also float in a liquid preservative that is probably formaldehyde or alcohol.

From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2012

We call it vividiffusion and it depends for its action on the physical principle of osmosis, the passage of substances of a certain kind through a porous membrane, such as these tubes of celloidin.

From The War Terror by Reeve, Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin)