tr.v., -ized, -iz·ing, -iz·es.
- To burn or sear with a cautery.
- To deaden, as to feelings or moral scruples; callous.
[Middle English cauterizen, from Late Latin cautērizāre, to cauterize, brand, from Latin cautērium, cautery. See cautery.]
cauterization cau'ter·i·za'tion (-tər-ĭ-zā'shən) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
