Haematoxylin

/ˌhiːməˈtɒksɪlɪn/ noun

Definition

A purple-blue dye extracted from logwood that is used to stain cell nuclei and tissue samples in microscopy.

Etymology

From Greek 'haima' (blood) + 'xylon' (wood), named for the blood-red logwood tree from Central America, where it was originally extracted.

Kelly Says

Haematoxylin is one of the most important tools in medicine—virtually every cancer diagnosis begins with haematoxylin-stained slides, and it's been used for over 150 years because no synthetic dye does quite as good a job.

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