axenic

adjective

axe·​nic (ˌ)ā-ˈze-nik How to pronounce axenic (audio) -ˈzē- How to pronounce axenic (audio)
: free from other living organisms
axenically
(ˌ)ā-ˈze-ni-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce axenic (audio)
-ˈzē-
adverb

Examples of axenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Inoculation of axenic cockroaches with individual bacterial taxa significantly rescued the aggregation response to the fecal extract, and inoculation with a mix of six bacterial isolates was more effective than with single isolates. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2015 Olfactory and aggregation bioassays demonstrated that nymphs strongly preferred the extract of control feces over the fecal extract of axenic cockroaches. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2015

Word History

Etymology

Greek a- a- entry 2 + xénos "foreigner, guest" + -ic entry 1 — more at xeno-

Note: The term was introduced by the American biologist James A. Baker (1910-75) and his Rockefeller Institute co-worker M. S. Ferguson in the article "Growth of Platyfish (Platypoecilus maculatus) Free from Bacteria and Other Microörganisms," Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, vol. 51 (October, 1942), pp. 116-19. The authors thus etymologize the word in a footnote: "Axenic is derived from two Greek words: A—meaning without or free from, and Xenos—denoting a stranger or foreign life. An axenic organism, as here defined, is a species free from any life apart from that produced by its own protoplasm …The writers are greatly indebted to Professor A. C. Johnson, Department of Classics, Princeton University, for suggesting and defining the term axenic."

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of axenic was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near axenic

axeman

axenic

axes

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Axenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axenic. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

axenic

adjective
axe·​nic (ˈ)ā-ˈzen-ik How to pronounce axenic (audio) -ˈzēn- How to pronounce axenic (audio)
: free from other living organisms
an axenic culture of bacteria
axenically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce axenic (audio)
adverb
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