: the inhibiting of the growth and multiplication of microorganisms by antiseptic means
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThen Lister invented antisepsis—a technique involving carbolic acid that stopped surgical patients from getting life-threatening infections. Matt Beane, Wired, 8 June 2020 Lister and his disciples mostly developed and spread antisepsis through benign breaches of expectation—applying an untested acidic poultice here, treating an otherwise terminal patient without informing them there. Matt Beane, Wired, 8 June 2020 In a new biography of Lister, Lindsey Fitzharris argues that the invention of antisepsis marks the true beginning of modern surgery. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2017 Lister went on the road, traveling Europe to push his gospel of antisepsis. John J. Ross, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2017
Word History
Etymology
anti- + sepsis, after antiseptic entry 1
First Known Use
1875, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
antisepsis
noun
an·ti·sep·sis ˌant-ə-ˈsep-səs
plural antisepses -ˌsēz
: the inhibiting of the growth and multiplication of microorganisms by antiseptic means