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

Geranium Oil Research shows that geranium oil demonstrated hair growth in in vitro (performed in a lab dish or test tube) and in vivo (performed on living organisms) studies. —Kathi Valeii, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024

Most studies on thyme’s benefits have been conducted on animals or in test tubes, and the existing human studies are mostly small. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 17 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