disinfect
dis-in-FEKT
/ˌdɪsɪnˈfekt/
To clean an object or surface using chemical agents in order to destroy harmful bacteria and pathogens.
Disinfecting reduces bacterial loads on inanimate objects significantly, but unlike sterilization, it may not destroy all hardy bacterial spores.
The story behind the word. Formed by attaching the Latin reversal prefix 'dis-' to 'infect' (from Latin 'inficere', meaning to stain or corrupt). It entered English in the 17th century to describe neutralizing foul contagions or pestilential air.
Word relationships
- sanitize: Sanitizing lowers germ counts to safe public health levels, whereas disinfecting actively destroys target organisms on hard surfaces.
- sterilize: Sterilizing destroys 100% of all microbial life including endospores, going beyond surface disinfection.
- contaminate: To make impure, dirty, or infected by introducing germs or toxins.
- infect: To introduce disease-causing agents into a biological organism.
Commonly confused with
- sterilize: Sterilize means eliminating all forms of microbial life entirely; disinfect means destroying active infectious germs on non-living items.
Word family
- disinfectant (noun): A chemical substance used to destroy germs on objects.
- disinfection (noun): The act or process of clearing pathogens from objects.
Collocations
- disinfect surfaces
- disinfect thoroughly
- disinfecting spray
- disinfecting wipes
Example sentences
- "Be sure to disinfect all countertops and door handles after preparing raw poultry." Sanitation protocol
- "The paramedic used alcohol wipes to disinfect the stretcher between patient calls." Equipment upkeep
Memory hook
DIS-INFECT reverses an INFECTION on surfaces. Destroy surface germs.
When not to use
Do not say you 'disinfect' an open living wound with harsh floor cleaners; use 'antiseptic treatment' or 'cleanse' for body tissue.
Fun facts
- During 19th-century cholera outbreaks, streets and ship holds were sprayed with chloride of lime as an early mass disinfectant.
Related words
Explore more words
bleach, sterilize, decontamination, Antiseptic, chlorinated, sterile
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