sterile

See also: stérile

English

Etymology

From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).

Pronunciation

• enPR: stĕrʹəl, stĕrʹīl"
• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛɹəl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛɹaɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɛɹəl, -ɛɹaɪl

Adjective

sterile (comparative more sterile, superlative most sterile)

1. (not comparable) Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
   • 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 192:

     According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah.

2. (figurative) Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking.
3. (figurative) Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive.
4. Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.

   a sterile kitchen table

5. free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint

Synonyms

• (unable to procreate): barren, infertile

Antonyms

• non-sterile, nonsterile
• unsterile

Related terms

• sterilisation / sterilization
• sterilise / sterilize
• sterilised / sterilized
• sterility

Translations

unable to reproduce

• Arabic: عقيم m, عقيمة f

  Gulf Arabic: عقيم (ʕɐqiːm), عقيمة f (ʕɐqiːmɐ)

• Armenian: ամուլ (hy) (amul), չբեր (hy) (čʻber), ստերջ (hy) (sterǰ)
• Catalan: estèril (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不孕的 (zh) (bùyùn-de), 貧瘠的／贫瘠的 (zh), 贫瘠的 (zh) (pínjí-de), 无菌的 (zh) (wújūn-de), 不生育的 (bù shēngyù-de)

• Czech: neplodný m
• Dutch: onvruchtbaar (nl), steriel (nl)
• Esperanto: malfekunda, sterila
• Finnish: steriili (fi)
• French: stérile (fr)
• Galician: maniña (gl) f, maniño m
• German: unfruchtbar (de)
• Greek: στείρος (el) (steíros)

  Ancient: στεῖρος (steîros)

• Hebrew: עקר (he), עָקָר (he) (ikar)
• Hungarian: steril (hu), meddő (hu), terméketlen (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingua: sterile
• Irish: aimrid
• Italian: sterile (it), infertile (it)
• Japanese: 不毛 (ja) (ふもう, fumō), 不妊 (ふにん, funin)
• Latin: sterilis
• Maori: horomata
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: steril

  Nynorsk: steril

• Persian: سترون (fa) (setarvan)
• Polish: bezpłodny (pl) m
• Portuguese: estéril (pt)
• Russian: беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj)
• Spanish: estéril (es)
• Swedish: steril (sv), ofruktbar (sv)
• Tagalog: lumaon
• Ukrainian: безплі́дний (uk) (bezplídnyj), яки́й не мо́же ма́ти діте́й (jakýj ne móže máty ditéj)
• Vietnamese: vô sinh (vi)
• Welsh: anffrwythlon (cy)

fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive

• Hungarian: meddő (hu), terméketlen (hu), haszontalan (hu), céltalan (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

germless

• Armenian: ստերիլ (hy) (steril), մանրէազերծ (hy) (manrēazerc)
• Catalan: estèril (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無菌的／无菌的 (zh)

• Czech: sterilní (cs)
• Danish: steril (da)
• Esperanto: sterila
• French: stérile (fr)
• Galician: estéril
• German: steril (de)
• Greek: αποστειρωμένος (el) (aposteiroménos), στείρος (el) (steíros)
• Greenlandic: bakteriaqanngitsoq
• Hungarian: steril (hu), tiszta (hu), csíramentes (hu)
• Interlingua: sterile
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: steiriúil
• Italian: sterile (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: steril

  Nynorsk: steril

• Persian: استریل (fa) (esteril), سترون (fa) (setarvan)
• Polish: sterylny (pl)
• Portuguese: estéril (pt)
• Russian: стери́льный (ru) (sterílʹnyj)
• Spanish: estéril (es)
• Swedish: steril (sv)
• Tagalog: esteril
• Vietnamese: vô trùng (vi)
• Welsh: diheintiedig

Anagrams

• Leister, leister, reliest, retiles, treiles

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German

Adjective

sterile

1. inflection of steril:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

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Interlingua

Adjective

sterile (not comparable)

1. sterile

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Italian

Adjective

1. sterile, barren, unprolific, infertile
2. sterile, sterilized (medicine)
3. vain, pointless
4. unproductive

Related terms

• sterilità
• sterilizzato
• sterilizzazione
• sterilizzare
• sterilire

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Latin

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) sterile

1. nominative neuter singular of sterilis
2. accusative neuter singular of sterilis
3. vocative neuter singular of sterilis

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

1. definite singular/plural of steril

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

1. definite singular/plural of steril