Gram-negative

[gram-neg-uh-tiv] /ˈgræmˈnɛg ə tɪv/

adjective, (often lowercase)
1.
(of bacteria) not retaining the violet dye when stained by Gram’s method.
adjective
1.
designating bacteria that fail to retain the violet stain in Gram’s method

gram-negative or Gram-negative
adj.
Of, relating to, or being a bacterium that does not retain the violet stain used in Gram’s method.
gram-negative
Relating to a group of bacteria that do not change color when subjected to the laboratory staining method known as Gram’s method or Gram’s stain. Gram-negative bacteria have relatively thin cell walls and are generally resistant to the effects of antibiotics or the actions of the body’s immune cells. Gram-negative bacteria include E. coli and the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, typhoid fever, rickettsial fever, cholera, syphilis, plague, and Lyme disease. Compare gram-positive.