Wordwyrt

sterility

/stəˈɪlɪti/stur-IH-lih-tee
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked
/stɚˈɪlɪti/stur-IH-lih-tee

Meaningbeing sterile

Common meaning: inability to produce offspring

Other meanings: freedom from germs

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Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*star- or *stal-‘be firm, also set, place’source
  2. Latinsterilis, -e‘barren’
  3. Old Frenchsterilesource
  4. Englishsterile‘unable to produce offspring’
  5. Englishformed in English from sterilesterility‘inability to produce offspring’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from sterile + -ity.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), STERILE, p.595 · scan

Roots

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