in vitro

[in vee-troh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR in vitro ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb, adjective

(of a biological process) made to occur in a laboratory vessel or other controlled experimental environment rather than within a living organism or natural setting.

Compare in vivo.

Origin of in vitro

First recorded in 1890–95, in vitro is from the Latin word in vitrō literally, in glass

in vitro fertilization

noun

a specialized technique by which an ovum, especially a human one, is fertilized by sperm outside the body, with the resulting embryo later implanted in the uterus for gestation.

Origin of in vitro fertilization

First recorded in 1970–75

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

Related Words for in vitro

test-tube

Examples from the Web for in vitro

Contemporary Examples of in vitro

In-vitro fertilization could also come under threat, opponents say, as the process can result in discarded embryos.
‘Personhood’ Leader Keith Mason Says His Family Home Was Attacked
Abigail Pesta
July 2, 2012
Mason said opponents use birth control and in-vitro fertilization as "scare tactics."
‘Personhood’ Leader Keith Mason: Oklahoma Ruling Helps the Movement
Abigail Pesta
April 30, 2012
Democrats say such amendments would “ban IUDs, the morning-after pill, in-vitro fertilization, and all abortions.”
The GOP's Nightmare Debate
Jill Lawrence
November 4, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for in vitro

in vitro

adverb, adjective

(of biological processes or reactions) made to occur outside the living organism in an artificial environment, such as a culture medium

Word Origin for in vitro

New Latin, literally: in glass

in vitro fertilization

noun

a technique enabling some women who are unable to conceive to bear children. Egg cells removed from a woman's ovary are fertilized by sperm in vitro; some of the resulting fertilized egg cells are incubated until the blastocyst stage, which are then implanted into her uterusAbbreviation: IVF

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

Word Origin and History for in vitro

Latin; "in a test tube, culture dish, etc.;" literally "in glass" (see vitreous).

in vitro in Medicine

in vitro

[ĭn vē′trō]

adj.

In an artificial environment outside a living organism.

Related formsin vi′tro adv.

in vitro fertilization

n.

Fertilization of an egg outside the body of a female by the addition of sperm, as a means of producing a zygote.

in vitro in Science

in vitro

[ĭn vē′trō]

In an artificial environment, such as a test tube. Compare in vivo.

in vitro fertilization

Fertilization of an egg outside the body of a female by the addition of sperm, as a means of producing a zygote.

in vitro in Culture

in vitro

[(in vee-troh)]

In the laboratory; literally, “in glass” (laboratory experiments are often carried out in glass containers). In vitro conditions are distinguished from conditions that actually apply in nature. (Compare in vivo.)

Note

In vitro appears in the expression in vitro fertilization, a way of producing human embryos in a laboratory.