WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)
n. the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
Word Usage
"Direct intervention through the purchase of foreign exchange was constrained by the costs of "sterilisation" - a reference to mopping up the excess rand through debt."