sterilization
noun
Forms sterilizations sterilisation
- noun (uncountable) The process of treating something to kill or inactivate microorganisms. “Heat sterilization is used during canning so the food can be safely stored for long periods.”
- noun (uncountable) A procedure to permanently prevent an organism from reproducing. “Spaying a cat is a form of sterilization to limit the population growth.”
- noun (countable) An instance of a sterilization procedure. “The vet performed several sterilizations this week.”
- noun (uncountable) A monetary policy operation used to offset a foreign exchange intervention. “The Federal Reserve is responsible for foreign exchange sterilization.”
- noun (uncountable) The process of permanently rendering a planet like Earth completely uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, leading to their complete extinction. “In about 1 billion years, the increasing heat from the Sun as it gradually ages, by triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that will boil away the oceans, will lead to the complete sterilization of all life on Earth.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From sterile + -ization or sterilize + -ation.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sterilization”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details