sanitize

[san-i-tahyz]

verb (used with object), san·i·tized, san·i·tiz·ing.

to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.

to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc.: to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.

Also especially British, san·i·tise.

Origin of sanitize

First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -ize

Related formssan·i·ti·za·tion, nounun·san·i·tized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for sanitization

sanitize

sanitise

verb (tr)

to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing

to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients

Derived Formssanitization or sanitisation, 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

Word Origin and History for sanitization

sanitize

1836, from stem of sanitary + -ize. Metaphoric sense is from 1934. Related: Sanitized; sanitizing.

sanitization in Medicine

sanitization

[săn′ĭ-tĭ-zā′shən]

n.

The process of making something sanitary, as by cleaning or disinfecting.

Related formssan′i•tize′ (-tīz′) v.