metachromasia /-krōmā″zhē·ə/ [Gk, meta, beyond, chroma, color] , a tissue-staining phenomenon in which cells being examined acquire a color other than that of the dye used. Cartilage cells, for example, may appear red after being stained with a blue dye. The cause is an interaction between the dye molecules and the acidic radicals of the tissue cells. Also called metachromism.
