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petri dish

[pee-tree]

noun

  1. a shallow, circular, glass or plastic dish with a loose-fitting cover over the top and sides, used for culturing bacteria and other microorganisms.



Petri dish

/ ˈpɛtrɪ /

noun

  1. a shallow circular flat-bottomed dish, often with a fitting cover, used in laboratories, esp for producing cultures of microorganisms

“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

petri dish

  1. A shallow, circular dish with a loose cover, usually made of transparent glass or plastic and used to grow cultures of microorganisms. The petri dish is named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri (1852–1921).

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Word History and Origins

Origin of petri dish1

1890–95; named after J. R. Petri (died 1921), German bacteriologist
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Word History and Origins

Origin of petri dish1

C19: named after J. R. Petri (1852–1921), German bacteriologist
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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.

School and nursery can be like a petri dish with lots of viruses circulating and they may well bring these germs home with them.

From BBC

"To hear that there's going to be the potential of some of these very preventable diseases becoming a petri dish here in our location is troublesome," she said.

From BBC

Federal officials have publicly relished big-footing Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who have repeatedly warned the city is being used as a “petri dish” for executive force.

Michelle grabs a petri dish that's growing bacteria from a patient with a painful, urinary tract infection that keeps coming back.

From BBC

Apart from the fact that Marx described the ship as “a floating petri dish,” the duo had a blast.

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