Gram Stain Definition
grăm
noun
A staining technique used to classify bacteria in which a bacterial specimen is first stained with crystal violet, then treated with an iodine solution, decolorized with alcohol, and counterstained with safranin. Because of differences in cell wall structure, gram-positive bacteria retain the violet stain whereas gram-negative bacteria do not.
American Heritage Medicine
Synonyms:
- Gram's method
- Gram's stain
- Gram's procedure
- Gram method
Origin of Gram Stain
After Hans Christian Joachim Gram (1853–1938), Danish physician
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Gram Stain Is Also Mentioned In
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to Gram stain using the buttons below.