crystal violet
- noun
- /ˈkrɪstəl ˈvaɪəlɪt/
- Specialized
:
violeta de cristal
- During the experiment, we stained the samples with crystal violet to observe the cellular structure under the microscope.
Examples
-
After incubation for 18 hours, cells on the upper surface of the membrane were removed; cells that migrated to the lower surface and across the filters were fixed and stained with eosin or crystal violet in methanol and counted after photography under a microscope.
Academic text (2015) -
Crystal violet dye was placed in the canal, followed by the insertion of the ear plug either dry or coated with petroleum jelly.
Academic text (1995) -
The earplugs inserted dry did not create an adequate waterproof seal and allowed moisture to enter the ear canal, causing the crystal violet to turn purple.
Academic text (1995) -
The laboratory technician carefully prepared a solution of crystal violet for use in the microbiology test.
-
To highlight the presence of bacteria, the researcher applied crystal violet to the slides before viewing them under the microscope.
Synonyms
A purple dye used to stain lab slides and treat small skin infections
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'crystal' and 'violet' will plausibly infer a crystalline object that is violet in color, so the basic form and color are transparent from the constituents. However, the specific meaning as the established name of a synthetic dye/stain and antiseptic used in laboratory microscopy is specialized lexical knowledge not predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The noun crystal violet may come from the shiny crystal form of the solid and the deep purple violet color it makes when mixed with water. That clear image helps explain why the name now means a 'dye' and 'stain' used to color cells under a microscope and a simple 'antiseptic' used to treat some skin infections.
