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antisepsis
noun
an·ti·sep·sis
ˌan-tə-ˈsep-səs
: the inhibiting of the growth and multiplication of microorganisms by antiseptic means
Examples of antisepsis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There have been four great advances in medicine over the past 200 years: anesthesia, antisepsis, antibiotics, and immunization.
—Gary Simon, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2023
Yet before the advent of the three A’s (anesthesia, antisepsis, and antibiotics), a surgeon had to deal with a patient as a sentient being rather than an inert object.
—Will Self, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
Then Lister invented antisepsis—a technique involving carbolic acid that stopped surgical patients from getting life-threatening infections.
—Matt Beane, Wired, 8 June 2020
Lister and his disciples mostly developed and spread antisepsis through benign breaches of expectation—applying an untested acidic poultice here, treating an otherwise terminal patient without informing them there.
—Matt Beane, Wired, 8 June 2020
In a new biography of Lister, Lindsey Fitzharris argues that the invention of antisepsis marks the true beginning of modern surgery.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2017
Lister went on the road, traveling Europe to push his gospel of antisepsis.
—John J. Ross, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2017
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Word History
Etymology
anti- + sepsis, after antiseptic entry 1
First Known Use
1875, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near antisepsis
Cite this Entry
“Antisepsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antisepsis. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
antisepsis
noun
an·ti·sep·sis
ˌant-ə-ˈsep-səs
plural antisepses
-ˌsēz
: the inhibiting of the growth and multiplication of microorganisms by antiseptic means
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