STERILIZE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Sterilize

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/stˈɛrəlˌaɪz/ Listen

verb

Sterilize v. t. (past & past part. sterilized; pres. part. sterilizing)

To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. (R.) "Sterilizing the earth."

(Biol.) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile.

(Microbiology, Medicine) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture) or on (a medical instrument), as by heat, so as to prevent contamination by bacteria or other organisms. A common method of sterilization in laboratories and medical facilities is to heat a liquid sample or an instrument in an autoclave.

To destroy all spores or germs on (a surface) by wetting with an antiseptic liquid, such as an alcoholic solution.

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Etymology of 'Sterilize'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Sterilize" Quotes from Famous Books

... cell, the organism is able to protect itself from the effect of an unfavorable environment. Many of the bacilli form endospores but the cocci do not. It is these spore forms that make it so difficult to thoroughly sterilize milk. ...

— Outlines of Dairy Bacteriology, 8th edition - A Concise Manual for the Use of Students in Dairying • H. L. Russell

... 5. Always sterilize the churn with steam or boiling water before and after churning. This prevents any odors or bad flavors from affecting the butter. All cans, pails, and bottles should also be ...

— Agriculture for Beginners - Revised Edition • Charles William Burkett

... and more of the wonderful things electricity will do, we are brought into contact with problems which directly interest the home. Sanitation attracts our attention. Why cannot electricity act as an agent to purify our drinking water, to sterilize sewage and to arrest offensive odors? We must, therefore, learn something ...

— Electricity for Boys • J. S. Zerbe