aseptic
Americanadjective
noun
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a product, as milk or fruit juice, that is marketed in an aseptic package or container.
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(used with a singular verb) aseptics, a system of packaging sterilized products in airtight containers so that freshness is preserved for several months.
adjective
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free from living pathogenic organisms; sterile
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aiming to achieve a germ-free condition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aseptic
Compare meaning
How does aseptic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If something is aseptic it is sterile, sanitized, or otherwise clean of infectious organisms. Hospitals make every effort to keep operating rooms aseptic so that patients don’t contract infections after surgery. The prefix “a-” almost always means that a word means the opposite of its base. The adjective aseptic, “a-” plus the root “septic,” describes anything that is not septic or is without sepsis. The origin of septic is the Greek word septikos meaning “characterized by putrefaction.” Putrefaction is the rot that happens to flesh after it dies, and when something is aseptic it is free of any rot, filth, bacteria or viruses that could cause disease or death.
Vocabulary lists containing aseptic
Brave New World
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In the Wild Light
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aseptic packaging is a part of this, keeping milk and other perishable foods safe at room temperature for up to six months—and providing more children access to a healthier diet.
From National Geographic • Dec. 12, 2023
Days ago, the company said it had signed with Michigan-based Grand River Aseptic to expand its ability to deliver finished doses, and on Wednesday said its own Danish facility had reopened with expanded capacity.
From Reuters • Aug. 24, 2022
On Thursday, they and Danish vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic announced a deal to expedite 2.5 million vials by moving some production to a Michigan-based company, Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing.
From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2022
Bavarian Nordic said the agreement it announced Thursday, with Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing, would “expedite delivery of vials to the U.S. while also freeing up capacity for other countries.”
From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2022
Aseptic foreign bodies, especially bullets, may remain embedded in the brain without producing symptoms.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
