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definitions

petri dish

[ pee-tree ]
/ ˈpi tri /
|

noun

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

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Nearby words

  1. petrarchan sonnet,
  2. petrarchianism,
  3. petrarchism,
  4. petrarchist,
  5. petrel,
  6. petri-,
  7. petrichor,
  8. petrie,
  9. petrie, sir william matthew flinders,
  10. petrifaction

Origin of petri dish

1890–95; named after J. R. Petri (died 1921), German bacteriologist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for petri dish

  • The colonies of bacteria shown in the petri-dish test made of the washings from wall paper further supports these findings.

    Paint Technology and Tests|Henry A. Gardner
British Dictionary definitions for petri dish

Petri dish

/ (ˈpɛtrɪ) /

noun

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

Word Origin for Petri dish

C19: named after J. R. Petri (1852–1921), German bacteriologist
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
Word Origin and History for petri dish

petri dish

n.

1892, named for German bacteriologist Julius Petri (1852-1922), who first devised it c.1887.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for petri dish

petri dish

[ pē′trē ]

n.

A shallow circular dish with a loose-fitting cover, used to culture bacteria or other microorganisms.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for petri dish

petri dish

[ pē′trē ]

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