Meaning & use
Petri dish
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A shallow, clear, lidded dish used in labs to grow cells or microorganisms.
Grammar: Countable noun; the plural is 'Petri dishes'. 'Petri' is usually capitalized because it comes from a proper name.
Patterns
- a Petri dish
- Petri dishes
- in a Petri dish
- grow something in a Petri dish
The scientist placed the sample in a Petri dish to observe bacterial growth.
Petri dishes are commonly used in biology laboratories.
She labeled each Petri dish before starting the experiment.
Word forms
| plural | Petri dishes |
|---|
Common combinations
- culture in a Petri dish
- They cultured the cells in a Petri dish for several days.
- Petri dish experiment
- The Petri dish experiment showed clear bacterial colonies.
- sterile Petri dish
- Always use a sterile Petri dish to avoid contamination.
- place in a Petri dish
- He placed the tissue sample in a Petri dish.
Synonyms and how they differ
- culture dish
- Culture dish is a broader term for any dish used to grow microorganisms; Petri dish is a specific type with a lid.
Commonly confused: Petri dish or petry dish?
Petri dish vs petry dish
This is a common misspelling. The correct spelling is 'Petri dish', named after the German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri.
Practice
The bacteria were grown in a ___ at 37 degrees Celsius.
Choose one answer.
Petri dish is the correct spelling for the shallow lidded dish used to culture microorganisms. 'Petry dish' is a misspelling, and 'petrol dish' and 'petal dish' are not standard terms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Petri dish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.