Standard Lemma guide

lyophilization

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Synonym of freeze-drying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: freeze-drying

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a method of drying food or blood plasma or pharmaceuticals or tissue without destroying their physical structure; material is frozen and then warmed in a vacuum so that the ice sublimes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: freeze-drying, lyophilisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dehydration, desiccation, drying up, evaporation, freeze, freezing

History

Etymology

First use appears c. 1894 in the US. lyo- + philos + -ization (alternatively analyzed as lyophilize + -ation), from Ancient Greek λύω (lúō, “to loosen, to dissolve”) + φίλος (phílos, “beloved”) + -ίζειν (-ízein) + Latin -ātiō, due to the dried product being able to rapidly reabsorb the solvent and restore the original substance, hence “lyophil” (solvent-loving). Popularized from 1960 by Louis R. Rey. Cognates exist in other European languages by means of the same construction.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: lyophilisation — freeze-drying
  • Galician: liofilización — freeze-drying
  • German: Gefriertrocknung — freeze-drying
  • German: Lyophilisation — freeze-drying
  • Greek: λυοφιλοποίηση (lyofilopoíisi) — freeze-drying
  • Polish: liofilizacja — freeze-drying