'Sterilizing' definitions:

Definition of 'Sterilizing'

From: GCIDE
  • Sterilize \Ster"il*ize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sterilized; p. pr. & vb. n. Sterilizing.] [Cf. F. st['e]riliser.]
  • 1. To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. [R.] "Sterilizing the earth." --Woodward. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. (Biol.) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile.
  • 3. (Microbiology, Medicine) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture) or on (a medical instrument), as by heat, so as to prevent contamination by bacteria or other organisms. A common method of sterilization in laboratories and medical facilities is to heat a liquid sample or an instrument in an autoclave. [1913 Webster +PJC]
  • 4. To destroy all spores or germs on (a surface) by wetting with an antiseptic liquid, such as an alcoholic solution. [PJC]

Words containing 'Sterilizing'