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• test tube
  test tube

  noun

  a hollow cylinder of thin glass with one end closed, used in chemical and biological experimentation and analysis.
• test-tube
  test-tube

  adjective

  produced in or as if in a test tube; synthetic or experimental.

test tube

¹ American  

noun

1. a hollow cylinder of thin glass with one end closed, used in chemical and biological experimentation and analysis.

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test-tube ² American  

[test-toob, -tyoob] / ˈtɛstˌtub, -ˌtyub /

adjective

1. produced in or as if in a test tube; synthetic or experimental.

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test tube British  

noun

1. a cylindrical round-bottomed glass tube open at one end: used in scientific experiments

2. (modifier) made synthetically in, or as if in, a test tube

   a test-tube product

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test tube Scientific  

/ tĕst /

1. A cylindrical tube of clear glass, usually open at one end and rounded at the other, used as a container for small amounts of a substance in laboratory tests and experiments.

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Etymology

Origin of test tube¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of test-tube²

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

There are levels to the game, and on some levels, you don’t see the colors of the marbles that are farther down in the test tube until they are accessible.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

Their daughter, Natalie Tomlinson, was born in 1983 - the first Welsh "test tube baby".

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2024

They have shown promise in test tube and animal studies aimed at conditions including heart attacks and wound healing.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 31, 2024

“Sometimes we see effects in the test tube that we don’t necessarily see repeated in animals or humans.”

From National Geographic • Feb. 8, 2024

Then she taps out what’s left of the glitter from her test tube into their dirty palms.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina