cauterize

[ kaw-tuh-rahyz ]

See synonyms for cauterize on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

Also especially British, cau·ter·ise .

Other words from cauterize

cau·ter·i·za·tion, noun
un·cau·ter·ized, adjective

Words Nearby cauterize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cauterize in a sentence

Surgeons had to open his belly to repair his intestines and cauterize the ruptured blood vessels, leaving him with a scar that runs, like a median line, down the center of his abdomen.
This chemist is reimagining the discovery of materials using AI and automation | Simon Lewsen | October 27, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
It was rubber, Billy explained, so the heat of the bullet passing through would cauterize the hole and seal it up.
Don’t Shoot! Why Being a Hero Is Not That Easy | Dan Baum | March 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Destroy the remnants of Government and cauterize the wound so that it will never re-infect again.
The Syndic | C.M. Kornbluth
A few surgeons still cauterize the apex of the cone until a perforation is produced.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various
Then, producing the proper instruments from the wonderful case, he proceeded to cauterize the wound.
The Carter Girls | Nell Speed

Before deciding to cauterize, it is necessary to ascertain the extent of area affected.
Lameness of the Horse | John Victor Lacroix
In this dangerous Indian climate, where everything grows putrid, they are frequently constrained to cauterize the sores.
The Bird | Jules Michelet

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

Origin of cauterize

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

Derived forms of cauterize

cauterization or cauterisation, noun

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

[ kô′tə-rīz′ ]

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

Browse