verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɔːtəɹaɪz/
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈkoːtəɹɑjz/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˈkɔtəɹaɪz/without the cot–caught merger
[ˈkhɔɾəɹaɪz]without the cot–caught merger
cot-caught-merger:/ˈkɑtəɹaɪz/
cot-caught-merger:[ˈkhɑɾəɹaɪz]
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈkoːtəɹɑez/
Scotland:/ˈkɔtəɾaɪz/
Wales:/ˈkɔːtəɾaɪz/
CMU ARPABET:K AO1 T ER0 AY0 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To burn and hence seal open tissue using a heated article or caustic agent so as to stop bleeding or minimise the risk of infection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: callous, cauterise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: inure, harden, indurate
3
verb
Meaning 3
burn, sear, or freeze (tissue) using a hot iron or electric current or a caustic agent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The surgeon cauterized the wart
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cauterise, burn
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: treat, care for
History
Etymology
From Middle French cauteriser, from Late Latin cauterizō (“to burn with a hot iron”), from Ancient Greek καυτηριάζω (kautēriázō, “to brand”), from καυτήρ (kautḗr, “branding iron”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).
Across languages
Translations
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
обгарям
(obgarjam)
— burn tissue
Catalan:
cauteritzar
— burn tissue
Chinese Mandarin:
燒灼 /烧灼
(shāozhuó)
— burn tissue
Chinese Mandarin:
灼
(zhuó)
— burn tissue
Chinese Mandarin:
灸
(as in moxibustion)
— burn tissue
