Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

supernatant

American  
[soo-per-neyt-nt] / ˌsu pərˈneɪt nt /

adjective

  1. floating above or on the surface.


supernatant British  
/ ˌsuːpəˈneɪtənt /

adjective

  1. floating on the surface or over something

  2. chem (of a liquid) lying above a sediment or settled precipitate

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of supernatant

1655–65; < Latin supernatant- (stem of supernatāns ), present participle of supernatāre to swim or float above. See super-, natant

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.

See Examples For:

The phage-free supernatant served as a comparative control.

From Science Daily Oct. 26, 2023

In the tube that contained the phage labeled with 32P, the radioactivity was detected in the pellet that contained the heavier bacterial cells, and no radioactivity was detected in the supernatant.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

In the tube that contained phage labeled with 35S, the supernatant contained the radioactively labeled phage, whereas no radioactivity was detected in the pellet.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

The supernatant containing the genomic DNA was transferred to a new collection tube.

From Nature Sep. 19, 2017

Pipette off the supernatant emulsion for use in the test.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training