verb (used with object)
- to cleanse (rooms, wounds, clothing, etc.) of infection; destroy disease germs in.
verb
- (tr) to rid of microorganisms potentially harmful to man, esp by chemical means
1590s, perhaps from French désinfecter (16c.), or formed in English from dis- + infect. Related: Disinfected; disinfecting.
v.
- To cleanse something so as to destroy or prevent the growth of disease-carrying microorganisms.