cau ‧ ter ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also cauterise British English ) /ˈkɔːtəraɪz $ ˈkɒː-/ verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: cautériser , from Latin , from cauterium 'cauterizing tool' , from Greek , from kaiein ; ⇨ ↑ caustic ]
medical to treat a wound or a growth on your body by burning it with hot metal, a ↑ laser , or a chemical