axenic

[ ey-zen-ik, ey-zee-nik ]

adjective

, Biology.

1. (of an experimental animal) raised under sterile conditions; germfree.
2. (of a laboratory culture) uncontaminated.

axenic

/ eɪˈziːnɪk /

adjective

1. (of a biological culture or culture medium) free from other microorganisms; uncontaminated

Other Words From

• a·xeni·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of axenic¹

1940–45; a- ⁶ + Greek xenikós foreign. See xeno-, -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of axenic¹

C20: see a- ¹, xeno- , -ic

Example Sentences

These genomes provide hundreds of potential drug targets that can be tested using high-throughput drug screenings that were made possible by recent advances in axenic and cell culturing techniques.

From Nature