fixative

[ fik-suh-tiv ]

/ ˈfɪk sə tɪv /

adjective

serving to fix; making fixed or permanent.

noun Also fix·a·tif [fik-suh-tiv, -teef] /ˈfɪk sə tɪv, -ˌtif/.

a fixative substance, as a gummy liquid sprayed on a drawing to prevent blurring, or a solution for killing, hardening, and preserving material for microscopic study.

Also called fixer. Photography. a chemical substance, as sodium thiosulfate, used to promote fixation.

a substance that retards evaporation, as in the manufacture of perfume.

Words nearby fixative

fix-up, fixate, fixation, fixation nystagmus, fixation point, fixative, fixator, fixator muscle, fixed, fixed action pattern, fixed asset

Origin of fixative

First recorded in 1635–45; fix + -ative

OTHER WORDS FROM fixative

un·fix·a·tive, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for fixative

I sent a shower of spray from the fixative over the canvas, and said: “Well, go on.”
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of these, Lang's corrosive sublimate solution is decidedly the best all-round "fixative."
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Bandoline, a fixative for keeping hair in curl is commonly prepared from carrageen.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 1 [January 1902]|Various
Heat your fixative as you would sealing wax, over a candle, also heat the arrow and the metal head.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope

Setting, fixing a charcoal or chalk drawing on the paper by means of a spray of fixative.
Stained Glass Work|C. W. Whall
I sent a shower of spray from the fixative over the canvas, and said: "Well, go on."
The King in Yellow|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for fixative

fixative

/ (ˈfɪksətɪv) /

adjective

serving or tending to fix

noun

a fluid usually consisting of a transparent resin, such as shellac, dissolved in alcohol and sprayed over drawings to prevent smudging

cytology a fluid, such as formaldehyde or ethanol, that fixes tissues and cells for microscopic study

a substance added to a liquid, such as a perfume, to make it less volatile

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 fixative

fixative

[ fĭk′sə-tĭv ]

adj.

Serving to fix, bind, or make firm or stable.

n.

A substance used for the preservation of tissue or cell specimens.