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Glite Dictionary
sterilant

sterilant

1 7.2
A chemical that kills all germs and makes things free of bacteria and viruses
  • noun
  • /ˈstɛrɪlənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : esterilizante
  • Sterilants are essential for ensuring that sterilants are free from harmful microorganisms.

Examples

  • "Adding a sterilant to drinking water or staple foods is a suggestion that seems to horrify people more than most proposals for involuntary fertility control.

    Blog text (10)

  • Before using any medical equipment, it is crucial to treat it with a sterilant for complete safety.

  • Many hospitals rely on strong sterilants to disinfect surfaces and instruments used in procedures.

Synonyms

disinfectant
vssterilant
23 3.1

A substance that kills germs on surfaces to stop infection

targets all microorganisms rather than merely reducing them for safety
germicide
vssterilant
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A substance that kills germs that can make people sick

targets all microorganisms rather than only those that cause disease

How Effective

sterilant
  • Specialized
1 7.2
disinfectant
23 3.1
sanitizer
  • US
12 2.6
cleaner
108 1.0

Surface Forms

sterilant singular
sterilants plural

Morphology

sterilant = sterilize (transparent) = steril + ant

The agentive suffix '-ant' attaches to the verb 'sterilize', yielding 'a substance that sterilizes', which is a straightforward derivation for learners.

Etymology

Sterilant comes from sterile, which in turn comes from an old Latin word sterilis meaning 'barren' or 'not producing life', and the ending -ant shows it is 'something that does' an action. So a sterilant is a substance that makes things free of life — it kills tiny living things like bacteria and spores.