formalin
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of formalin
First recorded in 1890–95; formerly a trademark
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, Salk’s injectable vaccine, which used formalin to inactivate the virus, was approved in 1955.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Invertebrates, however, were preserved using a wider range of liquids, including formalin, buffered solutions, or mixtures that contained additives such as glycerol.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2026
This was a challenge because the specimen had been preserved for too long in formalin, which destroys genetic material.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 21, 2023
The virus was grown in cells, and inactivated with formalin to make the “dead” virus stimulate an immune response without causing illness.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 19, 2022
Horace thought of her now, gray and washed, the needles in her throat and the rubber formalin tubes hanging down from the ceiling.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
