STERILIZATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sterilization mean? 

• STERILIZATION (noun)
  The noun STERILIZATION has 2 senses:

1. the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)

2. the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)

  Familiarity information: STERILIZATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STERILIZATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

sterilisation; sterilization

Hypernyms ("sterilization" 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 "sterilization"):

altering; fixing; neutering (the sterilization of an animal)

surgical contraception (contraception by surgical sterilization)

Derivation:

sterilize (make infertile)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

sterilisation; sterilization

Hypernyms ("sterilization" is a kind of...):

cleaning; cleansing; cleanup (the act of making something clean)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sterilization"):

pasteurisation; pasteurization (partial sterilization of foods at a temperature that destroys harmful microorganisms without major changes in the chemistry of the food)

Derivation:

sterilize (make free from bacteria)

 Context examples 

A sterilization process to kill microorganisms using a liquid sterilant.

(Liquid Chemical Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

"It's not sterilization yet," he added, "but it's heading in that direction."

(Vitamin C Might Shorten Tuberculosis Treatment Time, Study Indicates, VOA/Steve Baragona)

A sterilization process that uses intense and short duration pulses of wavelengths of light from the ultraviolet to the near infrared regions to kill microorganisms.

(High Intensity Light or Pulse Light Sterilization, Food and Drug Administration)

Verifying that the device packaging met proper sterilization conditions and that the effectiveness of the packaging kept the device free viable microorganisms.

(Device Packaging Verification Evaluation Method, Food and Drug Administration)

Inadequate sterilization of a device possibly resulting in the presence of microorganisms or other contaminants on the device.

(Inappropriate or Insufficient Device Sterilization Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

A sterilization process that uses hydrogen peroxide to kill microorganisms.

(Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

A sterilization process that uses microwave radiation to kill microorganisms.

(Microwave Radiation Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

A sterilization process that uses high temperature and moist air to kill microorganisms.

(Moist Heat or Steam Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

Proper sterilization of the equipment is important.

(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)

A sterilization process that uses radicals that form from ozone gas to kill microorganisms.

(Ozone Sterilization, Food and Drug Administration)