GERMICIDE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does germicide mean? 

• GERMICIDE (noun)
  The noun GERMICIDE has 1 sense:

1. an agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease

  Familiarity information: GERMICIDE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GERMICIDE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

antimicrobial; antimicrobic; disinfectant; germicide

Hypernyms ("germicide" is a kind of...):

agent (a substance that exerts some force or effect)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "germicide"):

cetrimide (a cationic detergent that is a powerful disinfectant)

sodium hypochlorite (an unstable salt (NaOCl) used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant)

Derivation:

germicidal (preventing infection by inhibiting the growth or action of microorganisms)

 Context examples 

A germicide that inactivates all microbial pathogens, except small numbers of bacterial endospores.

(High-level Disinfectant Sterilization, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called germicide.

(Microbicide, NCI Dictionary)