Sterile
Origin
Middle English steryle, from Latin sterilis; akin to Gothic stairo barren animal, Sanskrit starī sterile cow
Definitions
- 1a : failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores
- b : failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring <a sterile hybrid>
- c : incapable of germinating <sterile spores>
- d : of a flower : neither perfect nor pistillate
- 2a : unproductive of vegetation <a sterile arid region>
- b : free from living organisms and especially microorganisms <a sterile syringe>
- c : lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality : lifeless <a sterile work of art>
Description
Sterile organisms are those that have lost their reproductive capabilities.
Sterilization (or sterilisation, see spelling differences) is a term referring to any process that eliminates (removes) or kills all forms of life, including transmissible agents (such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, spore forms, etc.) present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media. Sterilization can be achieved by applying the proper combinations of heat, chemicals, irradiation, high pressure, and filtration.
The term has evolved to include the disabling or destruction of some molecules whose presence can cause serious harm such as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TES) related prions.[1]
