disinfect
verb
[ dɪsɪnˈfɛkt ]
• clean (something), especially with a chemical, in order to destroy bacteria.
• "he disinfected and dressed the cut on his forehead"
Similar:
sterilize,
sanitize,
clean,
cleanse,
purify,
decontaminate,
fumigate,
pasteurize,
autoclave,
deterge,
depollute,
depurate,
Origin:
late 16th century (in the sense ‘rid of infection’): from French désinfecter, from dés- (expressing reversal) + infecter ‘to infect’.
