autoclave

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au·to·clave / ˈôtəˌklāv/ • n. a strong, heated container used for chemical reactions and other processes using high pressures and temperatures, e.g., steam sterilization.• v. [tr.] heat (something) in an autoclave.ORIGIN: late 19th cent.: from French, from auto- ‘self’ + Latin clavus ‘nail’ or clavis ‘key’ (so called because it is self-fastening).

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