cauterize

American  

[kaw-tuh-rahyz] / ˈkɔ təˌraɪz /

especially British, cauterise

verb (used with object)

cauterized, cauterizing

1. to burn with a hot iron, electric current, fire, or a caustic, especially for curative purposes; treat with a cautery.

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cauterize British  

/ ˈkɔːtəˌraɪz /

verb

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

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cauterize Scientific  

/ kô′tə-rīz′ /

1. To burn or sear with a cautery, as in surgical procedures.

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Other Word Forms

• cauterization noun
• uncauterized adjective

Etymology

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 ( caustic ), + -tēr agent suffix) + -izāre -ize

Explanation

To cauterize is to seal off a wound or incision by burning it or freezing it, usually with a hot iron, electricity, or chemicals. Metaphorically, cauterize means to make less sensitive to feelings and emotions. Cauterize is usually a medical term. In surgery, using an electrical tool to cauterize the incision seals off blood vessels, resulting in a cleaner operation that heals more easily. Extreme cold, electricity, and chemicals are also used outside the body cauterize, or "burn off," warts and vessels that cause nosebleeds.

Example Sentences

If any bleeding occurs during the polyp removal, doctors can cauterize the wound to seal it, but this method creates a scar that may delay the healing, and result in additional complications.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

"And then when things really come to a head, they try to cauterize the wound at the lowest level possible."

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2023

These can be left alone, but if you have a large one that bothers you, a dermatologist can remove it with a laser or surgically, then cauterize it to stop the bleeding.

From Washington Post • Jan. 26, 2022

Such a principled response can also pragmatically cauterize the White House from subsequent factual revelations.

From Slate • Aug. 9, 2018

Privately, in another desperate attempt to cauterize the Watergate wound before it spread all the way to the president, Nixon had pressured his two closest aides to step down.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin