What does disinfect mean?

Definitions for disinfect
ˌdɪs ɪnˈfɛktdis·in·fect

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word disinfect.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. disinfectverb

    destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing

    "disinfect a wound"

Wiktionary

  1. disinfectverb

    To sterilize by the use of cleaning agent such as bleach.

  2. Etymology: From desinfecter

Wikipedia

  1. disinfect

    A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than sterilization, which is an extreme physical or chemical process that kills all types of life. Disinfectants are generally distinguished from other antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics, which destroy microorganisms within the body, and antiseptics, which destroy microorganisms on living tissue. Disinfectants are also different from biocides—the latter are intended to destroy all forms of life, not just microorganisms. Disinfectants work by destroying the cell wall of microbes or interfering with their metabolism. It is also a form of decontamination, and can be defined as the process whereby physical or chemical methods are used to reduce the amount of pathogenic microorganisms on a surface.Disinfectants can also be used to destroy microorganisms on the skin and mucous membrane, as in the medical dictionary historically the word simply meant that it destroys microbes.Sanitizers are substances that simultaneously clean and disinfect. Disinfectants kill more germs than sanitizers. Disinfectants are frequently used in hospitals, dental surgeries, kitchens, and bathrooms to kill infectious organisms. Sanitizers are mild compared to disinfectants and are used majorly to clean things that are in human contact whereas disinfectants are concentrated and are used to clean surfaces like floors and building premises.Bacterial endospores are most resistant to disinfectants, but some fungi, viruses and bacteria also possess some resistance. In wastewater treatment, a disinfection step with chlorine, ultra-violet (UV) radiation or ozonation can be included as tertiary treatment to remove pathogens from wastewater, for example if it is to be discharged to a river or the sea where there body contact immersion recreations is practiced (Europe) or reused to irrigate golf courses (US). An alternative term used in the sanitation sector for disinfection of waste streams, sewage sludge or fecal sludge is sanitisation or sanitization.

ChatGPT

  1. disinfect

    Disinfect refers to the process of cleaning or treating something with chemicals or other methods to kill or remove microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, to prevent the spread of diseases. It typically involves the use of substances like bleach, alcohol, or disinfectant sprays on surfaces or objects. Note that disinfection does not necessarily mean complete sterilization, as some microorganisms may still remain.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Disinfectverb

    to free from infectious or contagious matter; to destroy putrefaction; to purify; to make innocuous

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Disinfect

    dis-in-fekt′, v.t. to free from infection: to purify from infectious germs.—ns. Disinfect′ant, anything that destroys the causes of infection; Disinfec′tion; Disinfect′or.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of disinfect in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of disinfect in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of disinfect in a Sentence

  1. George Greene:

    There are many ways to disinfect the water, chlorine is one of them. It’s the one we use because it also helps to keep the water clean once it leaves and goes into the people’s houses.

  2. David Riggleman:

    We found that it was very difficult to disinfect and clean, we had asked for sleeping mats, which we use at Courtyard Homeless Resource Center -- and those can be disinfected easily. But there were none to be had.

  3. Mike Stone:

    I don't need to transport that patient to another area of the hospital for additional imaging and exposure to additional staff and potentially patients along the way, the fact that I can bring a handheld ultrasound system that plugs into a phone into a room, do the exam I need, get the information I need, walk out and disinfect a phone and a probe — compared to wheeling in a cart with three different probes on it, doing that same exam, getting that same information... it's really night and day.

  4. Youssouf Traore:

    We only disinfect the homes and places where sick Ebola victims have been and then only with the permission of their family and community.

  5. Jaz Banga:

    You can design better barriers. You can disinfect that area if you're allowed to do that in that area, it just gives you more targeting to create safer environments.

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Translations for disinfect

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"disinfect." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/disinfect>.

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    used of men; markedly masculine in appearance or manner
    A ectomorphic
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