Gram's method

[gramz]

noun (sometimes lowercase)

a method of staining and distinguishing bacteria, in which a fixed bacterial smear is stained with crystal violet, treated with Gram's solution, decolorized with alcohol, counterstained with safranine, and washed with water.

Compare Gram-negative, Gram-positive.

Origin of Gram's method

named after Hans C. J. Gram (1853–1938), Danish bacteriologist

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British Dictionary definitions for gram's method

Gram's method

noun

bacteriol a staining technique used to classify bacteria, based on their ability to retain or lose a violet colour, produced by crystal violet and iodine, after treatment with a decolorizing agentSee also Gram-negative, Gram-positive

Word Origin for Gram's method

C19: named after Hans Christian Joachim Gram (1853–1938), Danish physician

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