Gram-positive

[ gram-poz-i-tiv ]

/ ˈgræmˈpɒz ɪ tɪv /

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adjective (often lowercase)

(of bacteria) retaining the violet dye when stained by Gram's method.

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Origin of Gram-positive

First recorded in 1905–10; see origin at Gram's method

Words nearby Gram-positive

grampa, Grampian, Grampian Mountains, Grampian Region, Grampians, Gram-positive, gramps, grampus, Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization, Gramsci, Gram's method

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

How to use Gram-positive in a sentence

A Gram-positive stool due to cocci is suggestive of intestinal ulceration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The report was "moderate amount of pus cells, few gram positive cocci."
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Smear, few pus cells, some mucus threads noted, occasional gram positive cocci noted.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The bacillar threads are in places Gram-negative, in others Gram-positive, and bear small club-like swellings (see Fig. 14).
The Bacillus of Long Life|Loudon Douglas

The Gram-positive bacteria are violet and the Gram-negative are red.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology|Charles Bradfield Morrey

British Dictionary definitions for Gram-positive

Gram-positive

adjective

designating bacteria that retain the violet stain in Gram's method

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

Scientific definitions for Gram-positive

gram-positive

Relating to a group of bacteria that turn a dark-blue color when subjected to a laboratory staining method known as Gram's method. Gram-positive bacteria have relatively thick cell walls and are generally sensitive to the destructive effects of antibiotics or the actions of the body's immune cells. Gram-positive bacteria include beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil, as well as the bacteria that cause anthrax, botulism, leprosy, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, and strep throat. Compare gram-negative.