test-tube

1 of 2

adjective

ˈtes(t)-ˌt(y)üb 

1

: in vitro

test-tube experiments

2

: produced by in vitro fertilization

test-tube babies

test tube

2 of 2

noun

: a plain or lipped tube usually of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology

Examples of test-tube in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Even before the birth of the first test-tube baby, conservative thinkers were distinctly preoccupied with what IVF might do to the structure of the American family. —Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024

In a departure from her usual beat, Ms. Hosler wrote a moving first person account in 1985 for the old Sunday Sun Magazine about her experiences as one of the first to go through Hopkins’s test-tube baby program which in her case was not successful. —Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2024

Noun

Every student followed protocol to preserve the fish and minimize contamination, in many cases hauling gloves, test tubes, and coolers around in their cars. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024

What’s more, the potential benefits of other plant ingredients used in these supplements, like lion’s mane mushrooms, are mostly backed by in-vitro studies (a.k.a. experiments done on cells in a test tube) or rodent studies. —Jessie Van Amburg, SELF, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1846, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

test tube

noun

: a tube of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology

Medical Definition

test-tube

1 of 2 adjective

1

: in vitro

test-tube experiments

2

: produced by in vitro fertilization

test-tube babies

test tube

2 of 2 noun

: a plain or lipped tube usually of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology