sterilize

ster·il·ize  (str-lz)

tr.v. ster·il·ized, ster·il·iz·ing, ster·il·iz·es

1. To make free from live bacteria or other microorganisms.

2. To deprive (a person or an animal) of the ability to produce offspring, as by removing the reproductive organs.

3.

a. To make incapable of bearing fruit or germinating.

b. To render (land) unfruitful.

4. Economics To place (gold) in safekeeping so as not to affect the supply of money or credit.

5. To make inoffensive or innocuous: sterilized the terminology with euphemisms.

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steril·izer n.

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sterilize or -lise

Verb

[-lizing, -lized] or -lising, -lised to make sterile

sterilization
-lisation n

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	sterilize - make free from bacteria sterilise autoclave - subject to the action of an autoclave disinfect - destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing; "disinfect a wound"
	2.	sterilize - make infertile; "in some countries, people with genetically transmissible disabilites are sterilized" desex, desexualise, desexualize, sterilise, unsex, fix neuter, spay, castrate, alter - remove the ovaries of; "Is your cat spayed?" demasculinise, demasculinize, emasculate, castrate - remove the testicles of a male animal vasectomise, vasectomize - remove the vas deferens; "many men choose to be vasectomized as a form of safe birth control" operate on, operate - perform surgery on; "The doctors operated on the patient but failed to save his life"

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sterilize

verb disinfect, purify, fumigate, decontaminate, autoclave, sanitize

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1. In naval mine warfare, to permanently render a mine incapable of firing by means of a device (e.g., sterilizer) within the mine.
2. (DOD only) To remove from material to be used in covert and clandestine operations, marks or devices which can identify it as emanating from the sponsoring nation or organization.

Translations

sterilize [ˈstɛrɪlaɪz] vt → esterilizar

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sterilize [ˈstɛrɪlaɪz] sterile vt → stériliser

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sterilize [ˈstɛrɪlaɪz] sterile vt → sterilisieren

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sterilize [ˈstɛrɪlaɪz] vt → sterilizzare