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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

agar \a"gar\, n. [See {agar-agar}.]
1. common shortened form of {agar-agar[2]}.

Syn: gelose, agar-agar.
[PJC]

2. 1 any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent;
-- used especially with a modifying prefix, as, EMB agar.
The term is applied both to the dehydrated medium powder
containing agar and to the gelatinous medium prepared from
it.

Syn: nutrient agar
[WordNet 1.5 PJC]


Agar-agar \A`gar-a"gar\, n. [Ceylonese local name.]
1. A fucus or seaweed much used in the East for soups and
jellies; Ceylon moss ({Gracilaria lichenoides}).
[1913 Webster]

2. A gelatinlike substance, or a solution of it, prepared
from certain seaweeds containing gelose (such as Ceylon
moss, {Gracilaria lichenoides} or other seaweeds of the
genera {Gelidium}, {Ceramium}, {Pterocladia}, and
{Eucheuma}), and used for solidifying growth media in the
artificial cultivation of bacteria, or as a gelling agent
in foods; -- usually called simply {agar}, by
abbreviation.

Note: In composition it is predominantly a polysaccharide,
and is not degraded by most bacteria. It thus almost
completely replaced the earlier protein-based gelatins
used for fixing bacterial colonies on culture plates,
as the gelatins were often dissolved by the proteolytic
enzymes common in bacteria.

Syn: gelose, agar.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]