DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 Ster·il·ize v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sterilized p. pr. & vb. n. Sterilizing ]
 1. To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. [R.] “Sterilizing the earth.”
 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.
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 sterilized
      adj 1: made free from live bacteria or other microorganisms;
             "sterilized instruments" [syn: antiseptic, sterilised]
      2: made infertile [syn: sterilised]