sterile

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ster·ile / ˈsterəl/ • adj. 1. not able to produce children or young: the disease had made him sterile. ∎  (of a plant) not able to produce fruit or seeds. ∎  (of land or soil) too poor in quality to produce crops. ∎  lacking in imagination, creativity, or excitement; uninspiring or unproductive: he found the fraternity's teachings sterile.2. free from bacteria or other living microorganisms; totally clean: a sterile needle and syringes.DERIVATIVES: ster·ile·ly / ˈsterə(l)lē/ adv.ste·ril·i·ty / stəˈrilitē/ n.ORIGIN: late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin sterilis; related to Greek steira ‘barren cow.’ Sense 2 dates from the late 19th cent.

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