English
gram-positivegram-positive
From Gram (“a surname”) + positive, after Danish bacteriologist Hans Christian Gram, who invented the Gram staining method.
A compound of Gram ‘a surname’ + positive
Ancient Greek γράμμα ‘a small weight, a scruple’
French gramme
English Gram
Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to settle’
…
Proto-Italic *pozinō
Latin pōnō ‘to place’
Latin positīvus ‘positive, settled’
Old French positif
English positive
Today it means
adj That is stained violet by Gram's method
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / gram-positive
Shirt and support for this word