cauterize

verb

cau·​ter·​ize ˈkȯ-tə-ˌrīz How to pronounce cauterize (audio)
cauterized; cauterizing

transitive verb

1
: to sear with a cautery or caustic
cauterize a wound
2
: to make insensible : deaden
They will do anything to stay in office; their consciences have been cauterized.
cauterization noun

Examples of cauterize in a Sentence

The doctors cauterized the wound. time had cauterized his bitterness, and he was willing to let bygones be bygones
Recent Examples on the Web The aim has been to use the fat and the heat to cauterize and seal the wound. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 We are left with wounds cauterized by gatekeepers as payment, blistering from the denial of our humanity. Jessica Hoppe, refinery29.com, 26 Sep. 2023 At a minimum, revising the 2001 AUMF would help cauterize the existing, seemingly open-ended scope of the law by foreclosing any claims of ancillary authority. Brian Finucane, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2022 Elist cauterized more tissue by the pubic bone to make sure the implant would fit there, and at this the patient’s breaths rose into a moan. Ava Kofman, ProPublica, 26 June 2023 Where life wounds, art and fellowship can heal, or at the very least, cauterize into the most expressive of scars. Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2023 Somebody suggested that we deep-fry the finger, to cauterize the wound. Jeff Winkler, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cauterize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see cautery

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cauterize was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cauterize

Cite this Entry

“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cauterize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cauterize

verb
cau·​ter·​ize ˈkȯt-ə-ˌrīz How to pronounce cauterize (audio)
cauterized; cauterizing
: to burn with a hot iron or a chemical substance usually to destroy infected tissue
cauterize a wound
cauterization noun

Medical Definition

cauterize

transitive verb
cau·​ter·​ize
variants or British cauterise
cauterized or British cauterised; cauterizing or British cauterising
: to sear with a cautery or caustic
cauterization noun
or British cauterisation

More from Merriam-Webster on cauterize

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