antisepsis

American  

[an-tuh-sep-sis] / ˌæn təˈsɛp sɪs /

noun

1. destruction of the microorganisms that produce sepsis or septic disease.

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antisepsis British  

/ ˌæntɪˈsɛpsɪs /

noun

1. destruction of undesirable microorganisms, such as those that cause disease or putrefaction Compare asepsis

2. the state or condition of being free from such microorganisms

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antisepsis Scientific  

/ ăn′tĭ-sĕp′sĭs /

1. The destruction of pathogenic microorganisms in order to prevent infection.

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Etymology

Origin of antisepsis

First recorded in 1870–75; anti- + sepsis

Example Sentences

At the time, Joseph Lister’s pioneering antisepsis work in Britain was known to American doctors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

The emergence of surgery from its barbaric past rested on four pillars: the understanding of anatomy, the control of bleeding, anesthesia and antisepsis.

From New York Times • Mar. 24, 2022

But it is troubling that it fails to note the earlier, disregarded discovery of antisepsis by Ignaz Semmelweis.

From Scientific American • Feb. 3, 2018

Conan Doyle references Lister's use of carbolic acid for antisepsis in the 1892 story 'The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb', when Watson uses it while dressing a wound.

From Nature • Sep. 19, 2017

In pressing the necessity of caution and discrimination, I have not, however, intended to discourage the employment of intra-uterine antisepsis in cases where it is strictly indicated.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

Related Words

• purification
• sanitation
• sterilization
• washing