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acid-fast

[ as-id-fast, -fahst ]

adjective

  1. resistant to decolorizing by acidified alcohol after staining.


acid-fast

adjective

  1. (of bacteria and tissues) resistant to decolorization by mineral acids after staining
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • acid-fastness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of acid-fast1

First recorded in 1900–05
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Example Sentences

It is a powerful oxidising agent and rapidly destroys most bacteria, but tubercle and other acid-fast organisms resist its lethal action for considerable periods, and upon this fact the method is based.

It belongs to that small group known as acid-fast bacteria.

This method is supposed to differentiate between B. tuberculosis and other acid-fast micro-organisms.

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acid dyeacid-forming