reagent

noun

re·​agent rē-ˈā-jənt How to pronounce reagent (audio)
: a substance used (as in detecting or measuring a component, in preparing a product, or in developing photographs) because of its chemical or biological activity

Examples of reagent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web They were inspired by chemistry, and analyzed human interactions according to the chemical principle of mass action, which relates the rate of reaction between two reagents to their relative densities in the mix. Dan Rockmore, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 Although life-science reagents suppliers like NEB sell research-grade isothermal amplification kits for less than US $2 per test, the sticker price for consumer assays range from $50 to $75 a pop (with an additional one-time hardware cost of between $25 and $250 for some commercial products). IEEE Spectrum, 24 Jan. 2022 Later, several biomedical firms produced their own versions of rFC and compounds called recombinant cascade reagents (rCRs), which reproduce the entire LAL reaction without using horseshoe crab blood. Kristoffer Whitney, Fortune Well, 13 Oct. 2023 There was also blood in the hallway and Ruf's bedroom, as well as in the bathroom sink and shower, which officers were only able to see after applying a blood reagent. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 6 Sep. 2023 The software analyzes the results and suggests changes for the next set of experiments, such as adjusting the temperature, quantity of reagents, or length of reactions. IEEE Spectrum, 10 May 2023 But only a minority of labs use such reagents in the first place, the authors point out, and only a tiny fraction of all labs showed this effect. Bynatalia Mesa, science.org, 8 June 2023 These reagents are the only way to vaporize and thus detect some types of organic molecules with the heat treatments used by SAM and MOMA. Derek Smith, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2023 There was also blood in the hallway and Ruf's bedroom, as well as in the bathroom sink and shower, which police were only able to see after applying a blood reagent. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 20 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reagent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin reagent-, reagens, present participle of reagere to react — more at react

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reagent was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near reagent

Cite this Entry

“Reagent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reagent. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

reagent

noun
re·​agent rē-ˈā-jənt How to pronounce reagent (audio)
1
: a substance used (as in detecting or measuring a component, in preparing a product, or in developing photographs) because of its chemical or biological activity
2

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