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# antiseptic

noun (an antiseptic, antiseptics; antiseptic, uncountable); adjective (antiseptic)

«antiseptic» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. An antiseptic is a substance you put on skin or a wound to kill germs and stop infection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#m1)
2. Antiseptic means able to kill germs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#m2)
3. (figurative) Antiseptic can mean very clean but cold and without feeling, like a hospital room. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#m3)

### In the lessons

In first-aid and safety lessons you clean a cut, then may use antiseptic cream or wipes before a plaster. In science and history lessons Joseph Lister began using antiseptics in surgery in the 1860s, which saved many lives. Phrases: antiseptic cream, antiseptic wipe, antiseptic spray.

### Examples

- Mum dabbed antiseptic cream on my grazed knee. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x1)
- The nurse cleaned the cut with an antiseptic wipe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x2)
- Antiseptics kill germs on skin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x3)
- Joseph Lister used antiseptic spray during operations. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x4)
- The first-aid box has plasters, bandages and antiseptic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x5)
- The hospital corridor smelled antiseptic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x6)
- The new office looked antiseptic and unfriendly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/#x7)

### Note

An antiseptic is used on living skin; a disinfectant cleans surfaces like tables and toilets. Antiseptics are not antibiotics (medicines that kill bacteria inside the body). «Anti-» means «against», «septic» means infected.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «antiseptic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/antiseptic/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«antiseptic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/antiseptic.html) on Mova free.