antiseptical
|an-ti-sep-ti-cal|
/ˌæntiˈsɛptɪkəl/
(antiseptic)
preventing infection
Etymology
'antiseptical' originates from Modern English, derived from 'antiseptic' + the adjectival suffix '-al'. 'antiseptic' originates from New Latin 'antisepticus', from Greek 'antiseptikos', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'septikos' meant 'putrefactive'.
'antiseptic' changed from Greek 'antiseptikos' into New Latin 'antisepticus' and entered English in the 19th century as 'antiseptic'; the adjective 'antiseptical' was later formed by adding '-al' to create an adjective meaning 'having antiseptic properties'.
Initially it meant 'preventing putrefaction', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'preventing infection or inhibiting microorganisms'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
adjective form of 'antiseptic': having or relating to properties that prevent infection or inhibit the growth of microorganisms; disinfecting.
They cleaned the wound with an antiseptical solution before bandaging it.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 20:36