1. a gelatinous substance obtained from seaweed, used as a thickening agent in food and as a culture medium for bacteria in laboratories

Examples

• The scientist prepared agar plates to grow bacterial cultures.
• Agar is commonly used as a vegetarian substitute for gelatin.
• The laboratory technician poured the hot agar into petri dishes.
• Many Asian desserts are made with agar as a gelling agent.
• The agar medium allowed the bacteria to multiply rapidly.
• She added agar powder to thicken the soup naturally.