pipette

IPA/pɪˈpet/
KK[pˌaɪpˈɛt]IPA/paɪˈpet/

pipette — noun

  • pipettesingular
  • pipettesplural

1. a thin glass or plastic tube used to suck up a small amount of liquid and then l

1.nounC1
Definition

a thin glass or plastic tube used to suck up a small amount of liquid and then let it out again, especially in science or medical work

Example

Tanvi used a pipette to move three drops of dye into the dish.

use a pipette to transfer small drops

The lab assistant squeezed the pipette bulb before lowering the tip into the sample.

pipette bulb and tip — common lab parts

Common collocations
  • pipette bulb
  • pipette tip
  • glass pipette
  • plastic pipette
  • disposable pipette
  • use a pipette
Synonyms
  • dropper

    the everyday word for a simple tube that releases drops, usually with less focus on exact measurement

  • eyedropper

    a more specific dropper used for eye medicine or similar liquids, not a general lab tool

  • syringe

    moves liquid with a plunger and often a needle, so it is a different device

Grammar Patterns

a pipette

the pipette

with a pipette

use a pipette to + verb

Usage Note

Often used with verbs like use, fill, squeeze, and transfer. In lab English, pipette can refer either to a simple dropper-style tube or to a more exact measuring tube, so the context often shows how precise the tool is.

Common Mistakes

Use the pipette to pour the water into the cup.
Use the pipette to transfer the liquid drop by drop.
a pipette is for taking up and releasing small amounts, not for ordinary pouring.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A pipette is a narrow tool for taking up and releasing small amounts of liquid, usually in a lab or medical setting. A dropper is the everyday word for a simple tube that lets liquid fall in drops, so it fits food colouring or basic medicine better than careful lab work. An eyedropper is even more specific: it is a small dropper used for the eyes or similar medicine. A syringe also moves liquid, but it has a plunger and often a needle, so it is used for injection or washing something out. Use pipette when the focus is controlled transfer or measurement of a small liquid sample.

dropper ↗eyedropper ↗syringe ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • use a pipette
  • draw liquid into a pipette
  • release liquid from a pipette
  • measure with a pipette

Prepositions

  • with a pipette
  • from a pipette
  • into a pipette

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Pipette entered English in the 19th century from French pipette, a diminutive form of pipe meaning a small pipe or tube. The name reflects the tool's narrow shape and the way it carries liquid through a slender tube.