supravitaladj.

1867 G. H. Lewes Hist. Philos. (ed. 3) I. p. xcvii A spontaneity which brings Laws, not evolved from relations, and organised as results, but derived from a supra-mundane, supra-vital source.

1878 Q. Jrnl. Sci. 8 551 He distinctly admits the existence of the Deity, and of an immaterial, supra-vital, responsible principle in man, not perishing with what is commonly called death.

1903 Philadelphia Med. Jrnl. 4 Apr. 587/2 The supravital method is employed as follows: Sections are made with a double knife from the kidneys of a freshly killed animal and as quickly as possible placed in the staining solution.

1921 Arch. Internal Med. 28 513 Janus green B.., used as a supravital stain in dilute solutions..stains mitochondria an intense green.

1974 Nature 22 Feb. 551/2 The supernatant was then shaken from the wells and supravital stain was added.

2006 B. J. Bain Blood Cells (ed. 4) ii. 30/1 As the cells are still living when exposed to the dye, this is referred to as supravital staining.

1913 Chem. Abstr. 7 2233 In vital staining, an altered dye acts, and not the original stain, for which reason occur diff[erence]s in reaction of the same stain when used vitally in vivo, and supravitally in vitro.

1972 C. Gurney in C. E. Mengel et al. Hematology i. 6 When stained supravitally with a number of special stains, these young cells show small dark granules.

2008 A. Hartmann et al. in S. C. Gad Preclinical Devel. Handbk. vii. 176 Blood samples may be stained supravitally by placing a small sample of blood onto a slide that has been previously coated with acridine orange.