Main Entry: pe·tri dish

Pronunciation: \ˈpē-trē-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Julius R. Petri †1921 German bacteriologist

Date: circa 1892

1 : a small shallow dish of thin glass or plastic with a loose cover used especially for cultures in bacteriology
2 : something (as a place or situation) that fosters development or innovation <the college was a petri dish for radical views>