lyophilize
lyophilize verb: synonym of freeze-dry.
Verb
lyophilize (third-person singular simple present lyophilizes, present participle lyophilizing, simple past and past participle lyophilized)
- Synonym of freeze-dry.
- Lyophilization The process of vacuum-drying substances from the frozen state. The water is sublimated into a trap at low temperature or is absorbed by drying agents. Verb: lyophilize.1894, United States Department of Agriculture, Crops in Peace and War: The Yearbook of Agriculture, U.S. G.P.O., page 907
- Synonyms:
- freeze-dry
Synonyms of lyophilize
Forms of lyophilize
| third-person singular present | lyophilizes |
|---|---|
| present participle | lyophilizing |
| past participle | lyophilized |
| past | lyophilized |
| alternative form | lyophilise |
Origin of lyophilize
First use appears c. 1894 in the US. From Ancient Greek λύω (lúō, “to loosen, to dissolve”) + φίλος (phílos, “beloved”) + -ίζειν (-ízein); equivalent to lyo- + -phile + -ize. Compare hydrophilic (“water-absorbing”, literally “water-loving”) for use of -phile for “absorbing”. See lyophilization for more. Cognates exist in other European languages by means of the same construction.
Words formed from lyophilize
Questions about lyophilize
- What does lyophilize mean?
- Lyophilize means synonym of freeze-dry.
- What part of speech is lyophilize?
- Lyophilize is a verb.
- What is the past tense of lyophilize?
- The past tense of lyophilize is lyophilized.
Words near lyophilize in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lyophilize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “lyophilize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lyophilize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.