noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The contamination of medical equipment, etc. so that it is no longer sterile. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   A monetary process that is the reverse of sterilization. uncountable, usually

Etymology

From de- + sterilization.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.