▪ I. destain, v. Biol. and Chem.
(diːˈsteɪn)
[f. de- II. 2 + stain n.]
trans. Selectively to remove stain from (a substrate, microscope specimen, etc.) after it has previously been stained. Also absol.
| 1930 Stain Technol. V. 136 For paraffin sections of Clarkia concinna buds... Destain in a saturated aqueous solution of picric acid. 1940 D. A. Johansen Plant Microtechnique xiii. 160 Destain and complete differentiation with absolute alcohol..and mount in balsam. 1964 M. J. Purvis et al. Lab. Techniques in Bot. iv. 119 As it is necessary that only the liquefied cell walls should be stained by the safranin, the sections are de-stained in acid alcohol. 1985 Stain Technol. LX. 176 (caption) Section destained and restained with PTA. |
So deˈstaining vbl. n.
| 1926 Stain Technol. I. 106 A lack of sufficient destaining may leave some vegetative cells red. 1933 Jrnl. R. Hort. Soc. LVIII. 357 Picric acid proved to be too slow a destaining agent. 1983 Analytical Biochem. CXXXI. 293/1 Because of variations in amounts of protein..one has often to make a decision between incomplete and strong destaining. |
Add: deˈstained ppl. a.
| 1930 Stain Technol. V. 137 In a perfectly destained slide, the cytoplasm should not show a bluish color. 1990 Acta Cytologica XXXIV. 670/1 Follow-up immunoperoxidase staining for Leu-M 1 was performed on a destained smear. |
▪ II. deˈstain, v.
Archaic variant of distain.