cauterize
verb
[ ˈkɔːtərʌɪz ]
• burn the skin or flesh of (a wound) with a heated instrument or caustic substance in order to stop bleeding or to prevent infection.
• "I'll freeze the hand and cauterize the wound"
Similar:
burn,
sear,
singe,
scorch,
disinfect,
sterilize,
sanitize,
clean,
cleanse,
decontaminate,
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French cauteriser, from late Latin cauterizare, from Greek kautēriazein, from kautērion ‘branding iron’, from kaiein ‘to burn’.
