methylene blue

noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a dark-green, crystalline compound, C16H18ClN3S, that dissolves in water to form a deep-blue solution: used chiefly as a dye, as a bacteriological and biological stain, and as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.

Origin of methylene blue

First recorded in 1885–90

Also called methylthionine chloride.

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

Examples from the Web for methylene blue

Historical Examples of methylene blue

They can readily be demonstrated in smears stained with Lffler's methylene-blue.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis
James Campbell Todd
Ingestion of small amounts of methylene-blue gives a pale green; large amounts give a marked blue.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis
James Campbell Todd
The most promising of the methods which have been devised are cryoscopy, the methylene-blue test, and the phloridzin test.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis
James Campbell Todd
Effect of freezing procedures on methylene-blue reduction time.
Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures
N. L. VanDemark

British Dictionary definitions for methylene blue

methylene blue

noun

a dark-green crystalline compound forming a blue aqueous solution, used as a mild antiseptic and biological stain. Formula: C 16 H 18 N 3 SCl.3H 2 OAlso called: methylthionine chloride

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

methylene blue in Medicine

methylene blue

n.

A basic aniline dye that forms a deep blue solution when dissolved in water and is used as a bacteriological stain and as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.

methylene blue in Science

methylene blue

A basic dye that forms a deep blue solution when dissolved in water. It is used as an antidote for cyanide poisoning and as a bacteriological stain. Chemical formula: C16H18N3SCl.