sterilize
sterilize Lexical Profile
sterilize Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make free from bacteria or other living microorganisms, typically by applying heat, radiation, or chemicals.
"Medical staff must sterilize all surgical instruments in an autoclave before each procedure."
To deprive a person or animal of the ability to produce offspring, typically by removing or blocking the reproductive organs.
"The local animal shelter works with veterinarians to sterilize stray cats and dogs."
To offset the effect of foreign exchange interventions on the domestic money supply through central bank open-market operations (in economics).
"The central bank decided to sterilize the massive inflow of foreign capital by selling government bonds."
• Rhymes for sterilize
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 17th century from the adjective 'sterile' (from Latin 'sterilis', meaning 'barren' or 'unfruitful') and the verbal suffix '-ize'. The microbiological sense of destroying germs emerged in the late 19th century alongside Louis Pasteur's germ theory of disease.