sterile

See also: stérile

English

Etymology

From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).

Pronunciation

• enPR: stĕrʹīl", stĕrʹəl
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛɹaɪl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛɹəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɹaɪl, -ɛɹəl

Adjective

sterile (comparative more sterile, superlative most sterile)

1. (not comparable) Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
   • 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 192:

     According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah.

2. (figurative) Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking.
3. (figurative) Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive.
4. Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.

   a sterile kitchen table

5. Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint.
6. (US, military) Of weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States.
   • 1980, Russell Warren Howe, Weapons: The International Game of Arms, Money and Diplomacy:

     An early CIA decision was to bring war surplus in Europe to the United States, rather than let it fall into the hands of left-wing movements. Some of the guns would also, it was reasoned, be useful as "sterile" weapons (foreign-made and untraceable to the United States) to be provided secretly to foreign friends.

   • 1990, Leroy Thompson, The US Army in Vietnam, page 111:

     In addition to this rapid supply system, the US Army Counterinsurgency Support Office on Okinawa helped procure special equipment including rucksacks, special rations for irregular troops, 'sterile' weapons which could not be traced to the USA and other items not procurable through foreign channels.

Synonyms

• (unable to procreate): barren, infertile

Antonyms

• fertile
• non-sterile, nonsterile
• unsterile

Derived terms

• self-sterile
• sterile neutrino
• sterile oat

 

Related terms

• sterilisation / sterilization
• sterilise / sterilize
• sterilised / sterilized
• sterility

Translations

unable to reproduce

• Aklanon: baog
• Arabic: عَقِيم m (ʕaqīm), عَقِيمَة f (ʕaqīma)

  Gulf Arabic: عقيم (ʕɐqiːm), عقيمة f (ʕɐqiːmɐ)

• Armenian: ամուլ (hy) (amul), չբեր (hy) (čʻber), ստերջ (hy) (sterǰ)
• Bikol Central: bawas
• Bulgarian: безплоден (bg) (bezploden)
• Catalan: estèril (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不孕的 (zh) (bùyùn-de), 貧瘠的／贫瘠的 (zh) (pínjí-de), 无菌的 (zh) (wújūn-de), 不生育的 (bù shēngyù-de)

• Czech: neplodný (cs) m
• Dutch: onvruchtbaar (nl), steriel (nl)
• Esperanto: malfekunda, sterila
• Finnish: steriili (fi)
• French: stérile (fr)
• Galician: maniña (gl) f, maniño m
• German: unfruchtbar (de)
• Greek: στείρος (el) (steíros)

  Ancient: στεῖρος (steîros)

• Hebrew: עקר (he), עָקָר (he) (ikar)
• Hungarian: steril (hu), meddő (hu), terméketlen (hu)
• Indonesian: steril (id)
• Interlingua: sterile
• Irish: aimrid, seasc
• Italian: sterile (it), infertile (it)
• Japanese: 不毛な (ja) (fumō na), 不妊の (ja) (funin no)
• Latin: sterilis
• Maori: horomata
• Middle English: bareyne
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: steril

  Nynorsk: steril

• Old English: unberende
• Ottoman Turkish: قیصیر (kısır)
• Persian: سترون (fa) (setarvan)
• Polish: bezpłodny (pl) m
• Portuguese: estéril (pt)
• Russian: беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj)
• Sambali: baog
• Spanish: estéril (es)
• Swedish: steril (sv), ofruktbar (sv)
• Tagalog: baog
• Ukrainian: безплі́дний (uk) (bezplídnyj), яки́й не мо́же ма́ти діте́й (jakýj ne móže máty ditéj), стери́льний (sterýlʹnyj)
• Vietnamese: vô sinh (vi)
• Waray-Waray: baog
• Welsh: anffrwythlon (cy)

fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive

• Bulgarian: безрезултатен (bg) (bezrezultaten)
• Hungarian: meddő (hu), terméketlen (hu), haszontalan (hu), céltalan (hu)
• Irish: seasc
• Japanese: 不毛な (ja) (fumō na), 荒瘠な (ja) (kōseki na)
• Polish: bezpłodny (pl)

germless

• Armenian: ստերիլ (hy) (steril), մանրէազերծ (hy) (manrēazerc)
• Bulgarian: стерилен (bg) (sterilen)
• Catalan: estèril (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無菌的／无菌的 (zh)

• Czech: sterilní (cs)
• Danish: steril (da)
• Esperanto: sterila
• French: stérile (fr)
• Galician: estéril (gl)
• German: steril (de)
• Greek: αποστειρωμένος (el) (aposteiroménos), στείρος (el) (steíros)
• Greenlandic: bakteriaqanngitsoq
• Hungarian: steril (hu), tiszta (hu), csíramentes (hu)
• Indonesian: steril (id)
• Interlingua: sterile
• Irish: steiriúil
• Italian: sterile (it)
• Japanese: 無菌の (mukin no)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: steril

  Nynorsk: steril

• Persian: استریل (fa) (esteril), سترون (fa) (setarvan)
• Polish: sterylny (pl)
• Portuguese: estéril (pt)
• Russian: стери́льный (ru) (sterílʹnyj)
• Spanish: estéril (es)
• Swedish: steril (sv)
• Tagalog: esteril
• Ukrainian: стери́льний (sterýlʹnyj)
• Vietnamese: vô trùng (vi)
• Welsh: diheintiedig

Anagrams

• Leister, treiles, Eilerts, leister, reliest, retiles

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

sterile

1. inflection of steril:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Interlingua

Adjective

sterile (not comparable)

1. sterile

Italian

Etymology

From Latin sterilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛ.ri.le/
• Rhymes: -ɛrile
• Hyphenation: stè‧ri‧le

Adjective

sterile (plural sterili)

1. sterile, barren, unprolific, infertile
2. sterile, sterilized (medicine)
3. vain, pointless
4. unproductive

Derived terms

• sterilire
• sterilizzare
• sterilmente

Related terms

• sterilità

Further reading

• sterile in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Adjective

sterile

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of sterilis

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

sterile

1. definite singular/plural of steril

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

sterile

1. definite singular/plural of steril

Swedish

Adjective

sterile

1. definite natural masculine singular of steril