Sentence:  Nonspecific staining could be satisfactorily eliminated by passing these conjugates through a DEAE-cellulose <WSD>column</WSD> as described for * * f . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a vertical glass tube used in column chromatography; a mixture is poured in the top and washed through a stationary substance where components of the mixture are adsorbed selectively to form colored bands