fixative

[ fik-suh-tiv ]

/ ˈfɪk sə tɪv /

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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.

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Origin of fixative

First recorded in 1635–45; fix + -ative

OTHER WORDS FROM fixative

un·fix·a·tive, adjective

Words nearby fixative

Five-Year Plan, fix, fixate, fixated, fixation, fixative, fixator, fixed, fixed action pattern, fixed asset, fixed assets

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fixative in a sentence

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
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
Bandoline, a fixative for keeping hair in curl is commonly prepared from carrageen.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 1 [January 1902]|Various

Scotty wiped both with fixative and put them on the floor to dry.
The Flying Stingaree|Harold Leland Goodwin
Baldwin brought a bottle of fixative and sprayed the drawing through a blowpipe.
Ewing\'s Lady|Harry Leon Wilson

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