the word 'sterilize' is built upon the latin adjective 'sterilis', which meant barren, unproductive, or unfruitful, particularly in an agricultural sense. this latin term is thought to have an older, possibly proto-indo-european, connection to concepts of stiffness or rigidity, metaphorically extending to land that is hard and unyielding. the productive greek verbal suffix '-izein' was adopted into latin as '-izare' and then into english as '-ize', consistently meaning 'to render or make so'. therefore, the literal construction 'to make barren' evolved into the modern scientific meanings of eliminating microbial life or rendering an organism incapable of reproduction.

Structure: steril (barren) + ize (verb-forming suffix) "steril" originates from latin 'sterilis', meaning barren, unproductive. the suffix "ize" comes from greek '-izein', via latin '-izare', a verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make, to become, or to subject to an action'.