STERILE


Meaning of STERILE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈster-əl, chiefly Brit ]

-ˌī(-ə)l adjective

Etymology: Middle English steryle, from Latin sterilis; akin to Gothic stairo barren animal, Sanskrit starī sterile cow

Date: 15th century

1.

a. : failing to bear or incapable of producing fruit or spores

b. : failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring

a sterile hybrid

c. : incapable of germinating

sterile spores

d. of a flower : neither perfect nor pistillate

2.

a. : unproductive of vegetation

a sterile arid region

b. : free from living organisms and especially microorganisms

a sterile syringe

c. : lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality : lifeless

a sterile work of art

• ster·ile·ly -ə(l)-lē adverb

• ste·ril·i·ty stə-ˈri-lə-tē noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.