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petri dish

noun pe·tri dish \ ˈpē-trē- \

Definition of petri dish

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

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Origin and Etymology of petri dish

Julius R. Petri †1921 German bacteriologist

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, salmonella, tetanus

Medical Dictionary

petri dish

noun pe·tri dish \ ˈpē-trē- \

medical Definition of petri dish

:a small shallow dish of thin glass or plastic with a loose cover used especially for cultures in bacteriology

Biographical Note for petri dish

  • Petri play \ˈpā-trē\, Julius Richard (1852–1921), German bacteriologist. Petri was an assistant to the eminent bacteriologist Robert Koch. In 1887 Petri introduced a vessel for growing bacteria that consists of two round rimmed plates, one serving as a cover for the other.

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