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methylene blue

noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.
  1. 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.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for methylene blue

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • The most promising of the methods which have been devised are cryoscopy, the methylene-blue test, and the phloridzin test.

  • Effect of freezing procedures on methylene-blue reduction time.

British Dictionary definitions for methylene blue

methylene blue

noun
  1. 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
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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.
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
methylene blue in Science

methylene blue

  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.