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cauterize

[ kaw-tuh-rahyz ]
/ ˈkɔ təˌraɪz /
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verb (used with object), cau·ter·ized, cau·ter·iz·ing.
to burn with a hot iron, electric current, fire, or a caustic, especially for curative purposes; treat with a cautery.
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Also especially British, cau·ter·ise .

Origin of cauterize

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin cautērizāre to brand, equivalent to cautēr- (<Greek kautḗr branding iron, equivalent to kau-, variant stem of kaíein to burn (cf. caustic), + -tēr agent suffix) + -izāre-ize

OTHER WORDS FROM cauterize

cau·ter·i·za·tion, nounun·cau·ter·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cauterize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cauterize

cauterize

cauterise

/ (ˈkɔːtəˌraɪz) /

verb
(tr) (esp in the treatment of a wound) to burn or sear (body tissue) with a hot iron or caustic agent

Derived forms of cauterize

cauterization or cauterisation, noun

Word Origin for cauterize

C14: from Old French cauteriser, from Late Latin cautērizāre, from cautērium branding iron, from Greek kautērion, from kaiein to burn
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 cauterize

cauterize
[ kôtə-rīz′ ]

To burn or sear with a cautery, as in surgical procedures.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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