cryostatn.
/ˈkrʌɪə(ʊ)stat/, U.S. /ˈkraɪəˌstæt/ Chiefly Physics and Biology.
An apparatus for maintaining something at cryogenic temperatures; spec. a cold chamber containing a microtome for cutting thin tissue sections for microscopy; (also) a microtome mounted in such a chamber.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > cooling agent or appliance > [noun] > device for maintaining low temperature > very
cryostat1900
1900 Communications Physical Lab. Univ. Leiden No. 51. 3 Cryostat (boiling-glass and boiling-case) for measurements with liquefied gases (especially with liquid oxygen).
1946 Nature 24 Aug. 272/1 The experiments can be made in an ordinary cryostat.
1951 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 93 175 Linderstrøm-Lang and Mogensen solved this problem by placing their microtome in an insulated box... Sections cut in such a cryostat from frozen tissue remain in a tight roll at the tip of the knife.
1962 Rep. Progress Physics 25 5 The fact that the target has to be cooled below 1°K means that it must be kept inside a cryostat, surrounded by vacuum jackets.
1971 Lancet 25 Sept. 682 Fresh tissues were..snap-frozen at −70°C in isopentane, and sections 4–6 μ thick were cut with a cryostat.
1992 S. Rose Making of Memory 248 The frozen brain is mounted in the laboratory equivalent of a tiny meat slicer, called a cryostat, and sliced sequentially into very thin sections.
2000 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 18 June 40/4 The patient is stored in the cryostats, fully immersed in liquid nitrogen, to remain there as long as necessary.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1900