Papanicolaou stain

n.

A multichromatic stain used principally on exfoliated cytologic specimens, giving great transparency and detail, and important in cancer screening, especially of smears of the female genital tract.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.