sterilize

English

Alternative forms

• sterilise (UK)

Etymology

sterile +‎ -ize

Verb

1. To deprive of the ability to procreate.
2. To make unable to produce; to make unprofitable.
3. (biology) 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.

Related terms

• sterile
• sterilization

Translations

disable ability to procreate

• Catalan: esterilitzar (ca)
• Czech: sterilizovat
• Dutch: steriliseren (nl)
• Finnish: steriloida (fi)
• French: stériliser (fr)
• German: sterilisieren (de)
• Greek: στειρώνω (el) (steiróno)
• Hungarian: sterilizál (hu)
• Icelandic: gelda
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: aimridigh
• Italian: sterilizzare (it)
• Latin: sterilizare
• Malay: mandulkan
• Maori: whakamūhore
• Portuguese: esterelizar
• Russian: стерилизова́ть (ru) impf or pf (sterilizovátʹ), простерилизова́ть (ru) pf (prosterilizovátʹ)
• Spanish: esterilizar (es)

make unable to produce; make unprofitable

• Finnish: steriloida (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

(biology) to destroy all spores or germs

• Catalan: esterilitzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 消毒 (zh) (xiāodú)

• Czech: sterilizovat
• Finnish: steriloida (fi)
• French: stériliser (fr)
• German: sterilisieren (de), entkeimen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: αποστειρώνω (el) (aposteiróno)
• Hungarian: sterilizál (hu), fertőtlenít (hu), csíramentesít
• Icelandic: sótthreinsa
• Irish: steiriligh
• Japanese: 殺菌する (ja) (さっきんする, sakkin suru)
• Korean: 살균하다 (salgyunhada)
• Russian: стерилизова́ть (ru) impf or pf (sterilizovátʹ), простерилизова́ть (ru) pf (prosterilizovátʹ)

See also

• birth control
• castrate
• castrato
• eunuch
• procreate
• procreation
• spay

References

• “sterilize”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Further reading

• Wikipedia article on sterilization

Anagrams

• Listerize