fixative

American  

[fik-suh-tiv] / ˈfɪk sə tɪv /

adjective

1. serving to fix; making fixed or permanent.

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noun

1. 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.

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

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

fixative British  

/ ˈfɪksətɪv /

adjective

1. serving or tending to fix

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noun

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

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

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

Other Word Forms

• unfixative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fixative

First recorded in 1635–45; fix + -ative

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fixative

The researchers dissected the sharks' eyes and preserved them in a fixative solution so they could later be studied.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Finally, the sample is preserved in a fixative and applied to a slide.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Two teeth showed evidence of sclareolide, a compound found in Salvia plants that has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and is currently used as an aroma fixative in the perfume industry.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2022

In the end, we are left with speculation but without the fixative of certainty.

From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2020

Sometimes, however, as in faces, or in pictures which include important figures, you will need a shaded drawing, and this can be done perfectly with charcoal, and fixed with fixative afterwards.

From The Painter in Oil A complete treatise on the principles and technique necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst