sterilisation

Noun

sterilization (countable and uncountable, plural sterilizations)

1. (British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable) The process of treating something to kill or inactivate microorganisms.
   • Heat sterilization is used during canning so the food can be safely stored for long periods.
2. (British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable) A procedure to permanently prevent an organism from reproducing.
   • Spaying a cat is a form of sterilization to limit the population growth.
3. (British, English, Oxford, US, countable) An instance of a sterilization procedure.
   • The vet performed several sterilizations this week.
4. (British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable) A monetary policy operation used to offset a foreign exchange intervention.
   • The Federal Reserve is responsible for foreign exchange sterilization.
5. (British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable) The process of permanently rendering a planet like Earth completely uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, leading to their complete extinction.
   • In about 1 billion years, the increasing heat from the Sun as it gradually ages, by triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that will boil away the oceans, will lead to the complete sterilization of all life on Earth.