Definition

1. Noun:
   • A nutrient substance for cultivating microorganisms: A "culture medium" is a solid or liquid substance containing nutrients that is specifically prepared to support the growth and reproduction of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, or cells in a laboratory setting.

Usage

• The term "culture medium" is used primarily in scientific contexts, especially in microbiology, cell biology, and medical laboratories.
• It refers to the prepared substance into which a sample is introduced to grow and study microorganisms.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The bacteria were inoculated onto a sterile culture medium.
  • Agar is a common solidifying agent used in many types of culture media.
  • The lab technician prepared a fresh liquid culture medium for the cell culture experiment.

Advanced Usage

• "Selective culture medium": A medium designed to suppress the growth of unwanted microorganisms and encourage the growth of desired ones.
  • A selective culture medium was used to isolate the specific strain of Salmonella.
• "Enriched culture medium": A medium supplemented with special nutrients (like blood or serum) to support the growth of fastidious organisms.
  • The pathogen required an enriched culture medium containing sheep's blood for optimal growth.

Variants and Related Words

• Medium (n, in this context): Often used interchangeably with "culture medium" in laboratory jargon.
  • The cells were grown in a nutrient-rich medium.
• Growth medium (n): A synonym for "culture medium."
• Agar plate (n): A specific, common type of solid culture medium using agar as a base, typically in a Petri dish.
  • The scientist streaked the sample onto an agar plate.

Synonyms

• Growth medium
• Nutrient medium
• Nutrient broth (specifically for liquid media)
• Substrate (in a broader biochemical context)

Related Phrases

• To culture on/in a medium: The act of growing microorganisms using a culture medium.
  • The specimen was cultured on a special medium to identify the organism.
• Medium preparation: The process of making and sterilizing a culture medium.
  • Proper medium preparation is critical to avoid contamination.

Notes

• The term is a compound noun. The word "culture" here functions as a noun modifier, specifying the type of "medium" (i.e., a medium used for culturing).
• It is a standard, uncountable noun when referring to the substance in general, but can be countable when referring to different types or batches (e.g., "several culture media").

Noun

1. (bacteriology) a nutrient substance (solid or liquid) that is used to cultivate micro-organisms