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axenic

adjective
axe·​nic | \ (ˌ)ā-ˈze-nik How to pronounce axenic (audio) , -ˈzē- How to pronounce axenic (audio) \

Definition of axenic

: free from other living organisms

Other Words from axenic

axenically \ -​ni-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce axenically (audio) \ adverb

First Known Use of axenic

1942, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for axenic

Greek a- a- entry 2 + xénos "foreigner, guest" + -ic entry 1 — more at xeno-

Note: Term introduced by the American biologist James A. Baker (1910-75) and his Rockefeller Institute co-worker M.S. Ferguson in the article "Growth of Platyfish (Platypoecilus maculatus) Free from Bacteria and Other Microörganisms," Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, vol. 51 (October, 1942), pp. 116-19. The authors thus etymologize the word in a footnote: "Axenic is derived from two Greek words: A—meaning without or free from, and Xenos—denoting a stranger or foreign life. An axenic organism, as here defined, is a species free from any life apart from that produced by its own protoplasm…The writers are greatly indebted to Professor A.C. Johnson, Department of Classics, Princeton University, for suggesting and defining the term axenic."

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More Definitions for axenic

axenic

adjective
axe·​nic | \ (ˈ)ā-ˈzen-ik How to pronounce axenic (audio) , -ˈzēn- How to pronounce axenic (audio) \

Medical Definition of axenic

: free from other living organisms an axenic culture of bacteria

Other Words from axenic

axenically \ -​i-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce axenically (audio) \ adverb

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