sterile
[ ster-il or, esp. British, -ahyl ]
/ ˈstɛr ɪl or, esp. British, -aɪl /
adjective
free from living germs or microorganisms; aseptic: sterile surgical instruments.
incapable of producing offspring; not producing offspring.
barren; not producing vegetation: sterile soil.
Botany.
- noting a plant in which reproductive structures fail to develop.
- bearing no stamens or pistils.
not productive of results, ideas, etc.; fruitless.
Origin of sterile
First recorded in 1545–55,
sterile is from the Latin word
sterilis unfruitful
OTHER WORDS FROM sterile
Words nearby sterile
stereovision,
steric,
steric hindrance,
sterigma,
sterilant,
sterile,
sterile cyst,
sterilization,
sterilize,
sterilizer,
sterlet
Example sentences from the Web for sterile
British Dictionary definitions for sterile
sterile
/ (ˈstɛraɪl) /
adjective
unable to produce offspring; infertile
free from living, esp pathogenic, microorganisms; aseptic
(of plants or their parts) not producing or bearing seeds, fruit, spores, stamens, or pistils
lacking inspiration or vitality; fruitless
economics, US
(of gold) not being used to support credit creation or an increased money supply
Derived forms of sterile
sterilely, adverb sterility (stɛˈrɪlɪtɪ), nounWord Origin for sterile
C16: from Latin
sterilis
Medical definitions for sterile
sterile
[ stĕr′əl, -īl′ ]
adj.
Not producing or incapable of producing offspring.
Free from all live bacteria or other microorganisms and their spores.
Other words from sterile
ster′ile•ness null n.Scientific definitions for sterile
sterile
[ stĕr′əl, stĕr′īl′ ]
Not able to produce offspring, seeds, or fruit; unable to reproduce.
Free from disease-causing microorganisms.