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chemostat
This term is a technical portmanteau of "chemical" and "stat" (from the Greek stasis, meaning standing still). It describes a specialized laboratory device used primarily in microbiology and biochemistry to maintain a biological system in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Unlike a batch culture, where nutrients are depleted over time, a chemostat ensures that the growth rate of the microorganism is controlled by the rate of nutrient inflow.
In professional scientific discourse, the word is used as a precise descriptor for the hardware itself or the specific experimental condition of steady-state growth. It is almost exclusively found in academic papers, laboratory manuals, and textbooks on biotechnology or microbial physiology.
Meanings
A bioreactor that maintains a constant concentration of nutrients and cells by continuously adding fresh medium and removing an equal volume of the culture.
The researchers used a chemostat to study the steady-state growth of the bacteria.