Ringer's solution

6.3

A salt solution put into the body to replace fluid and keep tissues alive

noun
/ˈrɪŋərz səˈluːʃən/

Specialized

: solución de Ringer

Patients suffering from dehydration may be given Ringer's solution intravenously to restore fluid balance.

Examples

The contractile properties of the muscle were studied while it was bathed in Ringer's solution.
The laboratory prepared Ringer's solution to maintain the tissue sample's viability during the experiment.
The doctor administered Ringer's solution to the dehydrated patient.
In the lab, we prepared Ringer's solutions for our experiments.
Patients suffering from dehydration may be given Ringer's solution intravenously to restore fluid balance.
The laboratory prepared Ringer's solution to maintain the tissue sample's viability during the experiment.
The doctor administered Ringer's solution to the dehydrated patient.

Synonyms

Ringer solution

vsRinger's solution

Specialized

6.5

A sterile salt solution used to replace body fluids and keep tissues alive

is the same aqueous salt mix but described without noting sterility

isotonic solution

vsRinger's solution

Specialized

4.9

A liquid with the same salt level as body fluids like blood so cells keep their normal shape

is a specific medical salt mixture used to treat dehydration, not a general class

Surface Forms

Ringer's solution singular

Ringer's solutions plural

Morphology

Ringer's + solution

This is a technical, eponymous medical term named after a person (Ringer) and refers to a specific isotonic fluid composition; the meaning cannot be derived from the common noun 'solution' plus the possessive 'Ringer's'. A B1 learner who knows 'solution' but not the historical/medical reference would not predict the specific clinical composition or use, so the expression is not transparently compositional.

Etymology

Ringer's solution is named after a 19th-century scientist, Sydney Ringer, who found a mix of salts that kept frog hearts beating outside the body. Because his salt mix kept tissues alive, the name now refers to the liquid doctors and labs use 'to restore fluids' and 'to keep tissues alive' during treatment and experiments.