• adj. 不育的；無菌的；貧瘠的；不毛的；枯燥乏味的

來自拉丁語 sterilis,土地貧瘠的，無收獲的，無產(chǎn)出的，來自 PIE*ster,固定的，堅固的，僵 硬的，詞源同 stern,stark.后用于比喻義指無生育的，以及殺過菌的，消過毒的。

sterile

sterile: [16] Sterile is a word of ancient ancestry, which goes right back to the prehistoric Indo- European base *ster- (source also of Greek stériphos and Gothic stairō ‘infertile’). The Latin descendant of the base was sterilis, acquired by English via French stérile.

sterile (adj.)

mid-15c., "barren," from Middle French stérile "not producing fruit," from Latin sterilis "barren, unproductive, unfruitful; unrequited; unprofitable," from PIE *ster- (1) "stiff, rigid, firm, strong" (see stereo-). Also see torpor. Originally in English with reference to soil; of persons (chiefly females), from 1530s. The sense of "sterilized, free from living germs" is first recorded 1877.

1. Too much time has been wasted in sterile debate.

在毫無新意的辯論上已經(jīng)浪費了太多時間。

來自柯林斯例句

2. Urine is sterile.

尿液是無菌的。

來自柯林斯例句

3. George was sterile.

喬治沒有生育能力。

來自柯林斯例句

4. The room felt cold and sterile.

那房間讓人覺得陰冷而沒有生氣。

來自《權(quán)威詞典》

5. This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.

這個蓋子嚴實地蓋在奶瓶上,保持奶嘴無菌.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》