Sterile
/ˈstɛr.aɪl/noun
Unable to produce offspring or free from living microorganisms.
Did you know?Sterile comes from Latin sterilis, meaning “barren” or “unfruitful,” from the same Indo-European root that gave Greek stérphos (“barren”) and, more distantly, words tied to being deprived or emptied out.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ster-
“To be stiff, rigid, or barren; an ancient root linked to lack and deprivation.”
Proto-Italic
Italic
*sterilos
“Barren, unproductive.”
Classical Latin
Latin
sterilis
“Barren, unfruitful, unable to bear young or yield crops.”
Old French
Old French
sterile
“Barren, unfruitful; also ineffective or unproductive.”
Late Middle English
English
sterile
“Barren or incapable of producing offspring; later, free from living germs.”