English Dictionary |
FIXATIVE
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
IPA (US): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does fixative mean?
• FIXATIVE (noun)
The noun FIXATIVE has 2 senses:
1. a compound (such as ethanol or formaldehyde) that fixes tissues and cells for microscopic study
2. a varnish dissolved in alcohol and sprayed over pictures to prevent smudging
Familiarity information: FIXATIVE used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A compound (such as ethanol or formaldehyde) that fixes tissues and cells for microscopic study
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Hypernyms ("fixative" is a kind of...):
fixer; fixing agent (a chemical compound that sets or fixes something (as a dye or a photographic image))
Sense 2
Meaning:
A varnish dissolved in alcohol and sprayed over pictures to prevent smudging
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("fixative" is a kind of...):
varnish (a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface)
Context examples
Tissue which has not been exposed to a fixative solution.
(Fresh Specimen, NCI Thesaurus)
Tissue which is preserved in a fixative solution, usually formalin.
(Fixed Specimen, NCI Thesaurus)
The imaging of frozen-hydrated molecules and organelles permits the best possible resolution closest to the living state, free of chemical fixatives or stains.
(Cryo-Electron Microscopy, NCI Thesaurus)
A colorless poisonous gas synthesized by the oxidation of methanol and used as an antiseptic, disinfectant, histologic fixative, and general-purpose chemical reagent for laboratory applications.
(Formaldehyde, NCI Thesaurus)
A tissue fixative consisting of formaldehyde, glacial acetic acid, and picric acid.
(Bouin's Fixative, NCI Thesaurus)
A water-soluble oily liquid, C5H8O2, containing two aldehyde groups, used as a disinfectant and as a fixative for biological tissues.
(Glutaral, NCI Thesaurus)
Learn English with... Proverbs |
"There is no man nor thing without his defect, and often they have two or three of them" (Breton proverb)
"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." (Arabic proverb)
"The one not dancing knows lots of songs." (Cypriot proverb)