antiseptic

Everyday

1. An antiseptic is a substance you put on skin or a wound to kill germs and stop infection. tree →
2. Antiseptic means able to kill germs. tree →
3. (figurative) Antiseptic can mean very clean but cold and without feeling, like a hospital room. tree →

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 →
• The nurse cleaned the cut with an antiseptic wipe. tree →
• Antiseptics kill germs on skin. tree →
• Joseph Lister used antiseptic spray during operations. tree →
• The first-aid box has plasters, bandages and antiseptic. tree →
• The hospital corridor smelled antiseptic. tree →
• The new office looked antiseptic and unfriendly. tree →

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.