noun

• An instrument for cutting extremely thin sections of material for examination under a microscope.

  ‘Selected specimens were examined under the SEM, then embedded in resin and cut into 3 m thin sections using a rotation microtome.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘To avoid possible contamination during cutting of the slides, the microtome and water bath were cleaned thoroughly before histologic sectioning of a case for molecular analysis.’
  • ‘Pod wall, seed coat, and seed sections, from fresh glasshouse-grown material harvested mid-photoperiod, were cut using a sledge microtome.’
  • ‘Leaves were sectioned on a sliding microtome and stained with safranin and Alcian Blue before being dehydrated through an alcohol series, taken through Histoclear and mounted onto microscope slides in Euparal.’
  • ‘Thick 250 m slices cut on a vibrating microtome are prepared and maintained in vitro for 0-3 days.’