Other forms: disinfected, disinfecting, disinfects
To disinfect is to kill the germs on a surface or a wound. Disinfect the counter, disinfect the wound, thoroughly disinfected.
It kills most organisms rather than all of them — sterilising is the word for all — which is why surgical instruments are sterilised and kitchen counters disinfected. Contact time matters as much as the product: most disinfectants need the surface to stay wet for minutes. Note that dis- here means to undo.
1verbdisinfectTo kill the germs on a surface or a wound.
“The nurse disinfected the cut before putting a plaster on it.”
disinfect is a cleaning.
Dis- plus infect, after Middle French desinfecter. Infect comes from Latin inficere, to stain or taint.
Middle French
desinfecter
English, today
disinfect
From English dis + infect, from Middle French desinfecter.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA