cauterize

especially British, cau·ter·ise

[kaw-tuh-rahyz]

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.

cauterize

/ ˈkɔːtəˌraɪz /

verb

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

cauterize

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

Other Word Forms

• cauterization noun
• uncauterized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cauterize¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cauterize¹

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

Example Sentences

Following Dr. Graham on his medical rounds, they witness no heroic acts of surgery—he cauterizes a persistent sore on someone’s face; he presides at the death bed of a longtime patient and friend.

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Says Crow, who reportedly dated Clapton in the late ’90s: “It’s like Bonnie and ‘Nick of Time’ — these people who’ve lived a full life and then sing a song that cauterizes itself in a moment.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He had a blood vessel cauterized in his nose and began checking the air quality each morning to see if it was safe to go outside.

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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.

Read more on Science Daily

Once they found the ulcer, they cauterized it and gave him two pints of blood.

Read more on Seattle Times