plastination

noun plas·ti·na·tion \ ˌpla-stə-ˈnā-shən \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of plastination

: a technique for the preservation of biological tissue that involves replacing water and fat in tissue with a polymer (such as silicone or polyester) to produce a dry durable specimen for anatomical study

Recent Examples of plastination from the Web

According to its website, Body Worlds is an educational exhibition that showcases real human bodies that have been preserved through the process of plastination.

— kaitlyn schallhorn, Fox News, "New Zealand man stole human toes from Body Worlds exhibit, police say," 18 June 2018
Body Worlds bills itself as the world’s first public display of human plastination.

— jennifer swann, Los Angeles Magazine, "After They Die, These People’s Bodies Will Become Part of a Museum Exhibit," 15 Jan. 2018
Although his work might seem strange today, consider Bodyworlds and other modern exhibits that use plastination to preserve slices of human cadavers for the entertainment (and edification?) of the general public.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "This 17th-Century Anatomist Made Art Out of Bodies," 28 Mar. 2017
The famed scientist invented plastination, which is the process of preserving a specimen by replacing its water and fat content with different plastics.

— jennifer nalewicki, Smithsonian, "The Painstaking Process of Preserving a 400-Pound Blue Whale Heart," 21 July 2017
Daniel Engber (@danengber) wrote about the inventor of body plastination in issue 21.02.

— daniel engber, WIRED, "Meet the Man Behind the Awesome Sets of The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Interstellar," 18 Nov. 2014
Although his work might seem strange today, consider Bodyworlds and other modern exhibits that use plastination to preserve slices of human cadavers for the entertainment (and edification?) of the general public.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "This 17th-Century Anatomist Made Art Out of Bodies," 28 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plastination.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.