vitro

IPA/ˈviː.trəʊ/
KK[vˈitro]IPA/ˈviː.troʊ/

vitro — noun

1. This word does not have an independent meaning in English. It appears only as pa

1.noun
Definition

This word does not have an independent meaning in English. It appears only as part of the Latin phrase 'in vitro', which describes a process or experiment carried out in a laboratory container rather than inside a living body.

Example

The research team successfully cultivated the cells in vitro.

collocation with 'cultivate' and 'cells'

Before testing on animals, the lab must complete in vitro studies.

collocation: in vitro studies

Common collocations
  • in vitro fertilisation
  • in vitro testing
  • in vitro studies
  • in vitro models
  • in vitro experiments
Antonyms
  • in vivo

    Refers to processes that happen inside a living organism, the opposite of 'in vitro'.

Grammar Patterns

in vitro

Usage Note

Never used as a standalone word in modern English. Learners should memorise the full phrase 'in vitro' and treat it as a single unit (often italicised in formal writing).

Common Mistakes

The vitro experiment was successful.
The in vitro experiment was successful.
'vitro' must always follow 'in'; it cannot stand alone as a modifier.
Idioms

in vitro

idiom

Taking place in a test tube, culture dish, or other laboratory container rather than inside a living organism. The phrase is most common in biology and medicine.

In vitro experiments allow scientists to control variables more precisely than in vivo studies.

The team compared in vitro and in vivo results to check whether the lab data matched real-life outcomes.

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed directly from Latin, where 'vitro' is the ablative singular of 'vitrum' (glass). In early laboratory science, chemical reactions and biological experiments were carried out in glass containers such as test tubes, giving rise to the phrase 'in vitro' (literally 'in glass').