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sanitize

[san-i-tahyz]
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verb (used with object), san·i·tized, san·i·tiz·ing.
  1. to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.
  2. to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc.: to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.
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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. 2018

Related Words

disinfectdecontaminatefreshenfumigatecleanpurifyantisepticize

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Contemporary Examples

British Dictionary definitions for sanitize

sanitize

sanitise

verb (tr)
  1. to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing
  2. to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients
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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 sanitize

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper