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

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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.”

From 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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

From Seattle Times