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autoclave

[ aw-tuh-kleyv ]
/ ˈɔ təˌkleɪv /
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See synonyms for: autoclave / autoclaved / autoclaving on Thesaurus.com
noun
a heavy vessel for conducting chemical reactions under high pressure.
pressure cooker.
Medicine/Medical, Bacteriology. an apparatus in which steam under pressure effects sterilization.
verb (used with object), au·to·claved, au·to·clav·ing.
to place in an autoclave.
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Origin of autoclave

1875–80; <French, equivalent to auto-auto-1 + clave<Latin clāv-, stem of clāvis key and clāvus nail

Words nearby autoclave

autochrome, autochthon, autochthonous, autocidal, autocide, autoclave, autocollimation, autocollimator, autocomplete, AutoCorrect, autocorrelation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to autoclave

castrate, neuter, decontaminate, disinfect, pasteurize, sanitize, spay, alter, antisepticize, change, clean, desexualize, emasculate, fix, fumigate, geld, incapacitate, purify, unsex

How to use autoclave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for autoclave

autoclave
/ (ˈɔːtəˌkleɪv) /
noun
a strong sealed vessel used for chemical reactions at high pressure
an apparatus for sterilizing objects (esp surgical instruments) or for cooking by means of steam under pressure
civil engineering a vessel in which freshly cast concrete or sand-lime bricks are cured very rapidly in high-pressure steam
verb
(tr) to put in or subject to the action of an autoclave

Word Origin for autoclave

C19: from French auto- + -clave, from Latin clāvis key
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for autoclave

autoclave
[ ô′tō-klāv′ ]
An airtight steel vessel used to heat substances and objects under very high pressures. Autoclaves are used in laboratory experiments and for sterilization.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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