| Library / English Dictionary |
STERILISATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
Synonyms:
sterilisation; sterilization
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("sterilisation" is a kind of...):
cleaning; cleansing; cleanup (the act of making something clean)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sterilisation"):
pasteurisation; pasteurization (partial sterilization of foods at a temperature that destroys harmful microorganisms without major changes in the chemistry of the food)
Derivation:
sterilise (make free from bacteria)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)
Synonyms:
sterilisation; sterilization
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("sterilisation" is a kind of...):
operation; surgery; surgical operation; surgical procedure; surgical process (a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sterilisation"):
altering; fixing; neutering (the sterilization of an animal)
surgical contraception (contraception by surgical sterilization)
Derivation:
sterilise (make infertile)
