Examples of autoclave in a Sentence
Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 1 July 2014
And now everyone’s running around, preparing the autoclave.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2013
Some tequila distillers still use them but there are two machines, the autoclave and the diffuser, that can do the job faster.
—Oj Lima, Bon Appétit, 22 July 2022
The dry fibers are significantly cheaper than the resin pre-impregnated fiber used in other processes and doesn’t require curing in an autoclave.
—Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 17 June 2022
For the method’s second fermentation that transforms the wine to sparkling in that autoclave, Drusian’s start is around 12° C then onto 14° C for 70 to 90 days.
—Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 27 May 2022
The office building was locked — just me and the janitors and the whir of the autoclave.
—New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022
Because their autoclave is roughly the size of a toaster oven, the team ended up with a set of miniature pizzas.
—Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2022
The researchers placed a tiny yeast-free pizza dough no bigger than a penny in a hot autoclave.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 23 Mar. 2022
Alice Bell, CNN, 5 Nov. 2019
That material -- autoclaved aerated concrete, better known as AAC block -- is a porous block that's lightweight and workable, but also has insulating qualities.
—Sarah Bonnette, NOLA.com, 30 Aug. 2017
And make sure the therapist uses either disposable plastic tools or metal ones that have been autoclaved between each use.
—Karyn Repinski, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2016
Can the seal on Maddy’s autoclaved world withstand the pressure of such swelling adolescent hormones — not to mention Yoon’s plot requirements?
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 19 May 2017
Can the seal on Maddy’s autoclaved world withstand the pressure of such swelling adolescent hormones, not to mention Yoon’s plot requirements?
—Michael O’Sullivan, star-telegram.com, 19 May 2017
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autoclave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
borrowed from French, "type of pressure cooker," short for marmite autoclave, probably meant to be understood as "cooking pot that locks itself (by internal pressure)," from auto- auto- + -clave, borrowed from Latin clāvis "key" — more at clavicle
Note: The word was presumably coined by the French politician, educator and inventor Pierre Alexandre Lemare (1766-1835), who filed for a patent (brevet d'invention) on the autoclave in 1820. See Dictionnaire chronologique et raisonné des découvertes, inventions … en France … de 1789 à la fin de 1820, tome premier (Paris, 1822), pp. 485-87.
Verb
derivative of autoclave entry 1
Dictionary Entries Near autoclave
Cite this Entry
“Autoclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoclave. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
autoclave
noun
Medical Definition
autoclave
1 of 2 noun
autoclave
2 of 2 transitive verb
More from Merriam-Webster on autoclave
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about autoclave
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