means To make something free of living microorganisms, or to render a person or animal incapable of reproduction.

from From Latin 'sterilis,' meaning barren or unfruitful — the same root that gives us 'sterile.' Originally it described land that wouldn't grow crops and women who couldn't bear children; only later did the sense narrow toward the modern laboratory meaning of killing every last microbe, with the '-ize' ending (Greek '-izein,' to make or do) turning the adjective into an action. So at its heart, to sterilize is to enforce barrenness — whether on a field, a body, or a Petri dish.