Definition of "sterilization" [ster•il•i•za•tion]

• The act or procedure of sterilizing. (noun)
• The condition of being sterile or sterilized. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "“Eugenic sterilization is an urgent need … We must prevent multiplication of this bad stock.”"
• "Yes, forced sterilization is the height of compassion."
• "The same disapproval for birth control and sterilization is more difficult to understand, but I accept that it exists."