sterilize

Meaning

  1. (British, English, Oxford, US, transitive) To deprive of the ability to procreate.
  2. (British, English, Oxford, US, transitive) To make unable to produce; to make unprofitable.
  3. (British, English, Oxford, US, transitive) To kill, deactivate (denature), or destroy (break apart) all living, viable microorganisms and spores on a surface, in a fluid, or contained in a compound, such as culture media or a medical product.
  4. (British, English, Oxford, US, transitive) To render a planet like Earth permanently uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, causing their complete extinction.
  5. (British, English, Oxford, US, transitive) To redact (a document), removing classified or sensitive material.

Frequency

29k
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈstɛrɪlʌɪz/
Etymology

From sterile + -ize.

Notes

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