a. [ F. stérile, L. sterilis, akin to Gr. stereo`s stiff, solid, stei^ros barren, stei^ra a cow that has not calved, Goth. stairō, fem., barren. See Stare to gaze. ] 1. Producing little or no crop; barren; unfruitful; unproductive; not fertile; as, sterile land; a sterile desert; a sterile year. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) (a) Incapable of reproduction; unfitted for reproduction of offspring; not able to germinate or bear fruit; unfruitful; as, a sterile flower, which bears only stamens. (b) Free from reproductive spores or germs; as, a sterile fluid. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Fig.: Barren of ideas; destitute of sentiment; as, a sterile production or author. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. sterilitas: cf. F. stérilité. ] 1. The quality or condition of being sterile. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Quality of being sterile; infecundity; also, the state of being free from germs or spores. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Biol.) The act or process of sterilizing, or rendering sterile; also, the state of being sterile. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Sterilized p. pr. & vb. n. Sterilizing ] [ Cf. F. stériliser. ] 1. To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. [ R. ] “Sterilizing the earth.” Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile.

3. (Microbiology, Medicine) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture) or on (a medical instrument), as by heat, so as to prevent contamination by bacteria or other organisms. A common method of sterilization in laboratories and medical facilities is to heat a liquid sample or an instrument in an autoclave. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

4. To destroy all spores or germs on (a surface) by wetting with an antiseptic liquid, such as an alcoholic solution. [ PJC ]

n. One that sterilizes anything; specif., an apparatus for sterilizing equipment or an organic fluid. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]