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Glite Dictionary
to lyophilize

to lyophilize

9.9
To remove water from something by freezing it and lowering pressure so the ice turns to gas
  • verb
  • /laɪˈɒfɪlaɪz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : liofilizar

Examples

  • The frozen ground potatoes were lyophilized and ball-milled to <100 mesh (U.S. screen) powder.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Thus, the lyophilized SF was composed mainly of amorphous material with some crystalline portion, in agreement with FT-IR results.

    Academic text (2018)

  • In preparation for INAA, subsamples of the frozen powder were lyophilized at a pressure of 1 Pa for 5 days, during which the temperature was gradually increased from -20 Celsius to 5 Celsius.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The scientist decided to lyophilize the samples to preserve their biochemical properties for future research.

  • During the experiment, the team had to lyophilize the serum to ensure its stability at room temperature.

  • To extend its shelf life, the lab technician will lyophilize the vaccine before storage.

Synonyms

to freeze-dry
vsto lyophilize
  • Specialized
1 4.4

To keep food for a long time by freezing it and then removing its water

is the lab method used for biological substances rather than general food preservation
to dehydrate
vsto lyophilize
1 4.8

Remove almost all water from food to keep it for longer

removes frozen water by sublimation after freezing, not merely drying by heat or air
to sublimate
vsto lyophilize
  • Specialized
1 8.7

To change from a solid to a gas without becoming liquid

uses that direct solid to vapor change to remove frozen water under low pressure

Surface Forms

lyophilize infinitive
lyophilized past
lyophilized past participle
lyophilizing present participle
lyophilizes third person singular

Morphology

lyophilize = lyophil + ize

The word is formed from specialized technical combining forms ('lyophil-') plus the productive suffix '-ize', but the combining form is not a standalone English word and the meaning 'freeze-dry' is not inferable by an average B1 learner from the components.

Etymology

Lyophilize comes from the Greek root lyo- meaning 'to loosen' and the verb ending -ize meaning 'to make'. Think of it as 'loosening' the water from a sample — in other words, freeze-drying something to remove its water so it can be kept long-term.