Meanings
nounZiehl-Neelsen stain (countable and uncountable, plural Ziehl-Neelsen stains)
plural Ziehl-Neelsen stains
- countableuncountableA bacteriological stain used to identify acid-fast organisms, mainly mycobacteria.
Origin
Named after two German doctors who modified the stain: the bacteriologist Franz Ziehl (1859–1926) and the pathologist Friedrich Neelsen (1854–1898).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Ziehl-Neelsen stain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ziehl-Neelsen%20stain
MLA
“Ziehl-Neelsen stain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ziehl-Neelsen%20stain. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ziehl-Neelsen stain,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ziehl-Neelsen%20stain.
Source: Ziehl-Neelsen stain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.