aseptic
adjective
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Things cleaned specifically in a way that prevents infection were first described as aseptic in the 19th century. The word combines the prefix a-, meaning "not," and septic, from Greek sēptikos, meaning "putrifying." Aseptic was preceded by more than a century by antiseptic (from anti-, meaning "opposing," and sēptikos), which entered English with the meaning "opposing sepsis, putrefaction, or decay." Both words can also be used, like sterile, to suggest a lack of emotion, warmth, or interest. Evelyn Toynton used aseptic thus in The New York Times Book Review, November 22, 1987: "It's hard not to feel that an element of romance has been lost, that the vast chilly reaches of outer space are a pretty aseptic substitute for the shadowy depths under the ground.…"
Examples of aseptic in a Sentence
James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 14 Sep. 2024
Gehl started his food manufacturing career as a fourth-generation employee at his family's business, Gehl Foods in Germantown, where its aseptic manufacturing plant still operates.
—Angelika Ytuarte, Journal Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2024
In my neighborhood, for example, the Duke and University of North Carolina health systems could extend their brand differentiation into their telehealth operations, which could otherwise function as rather aseptic standalone systems.
—Deepak Sirdeshmukh, STAT, 3 May 2024
While commuting to other, similarly aseptic indoor spaces—co-working offices, movie theaters, friends’ apartments—I’ll skirt around pigeons, avert my eyes from a gnarly rat, shudder at the odd scuttling cockroach.
—Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Aseptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aseptic. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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aseptic
adjective
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aseptic
adjective
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