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coun•ter•stain

(kountər-stān′)

A stain of a contrasting color used to color the components in a microscopic specimen that are not made visible by the principal stain.

tr.v.coun•ter•stained, coun•ter•stain•ing, coun•ter•stains

To color (a microscopic specimen) with such a stain.

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counterstain

counterstained transverse section of human peripheral nerve tissue

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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