Shane Wood
Cassie Keller Cole
English 150
September 28, 2009
Disinfect
The word disinfect means to rid a person or object of bacteria or other harmful microorganisms. I found this particular word while examining a canister of Clorox disinfecting wipes. Disinfecting can happen in a variety of ways. Many times it happens with the use of certain chemicals or even certain kinds of light. According to the Merriam –Webster online dictionary, the word disinfect comes from the middle French word: desinfecter. With the prefix des, meaning reversal or removal, and the root word infecter, meaning to infect. From a text circa 1374, the word infect is defined as, “to spoil, stain, to put in”. A definition from 1548 infection is defined as “communication of disease by agency of air or water”. With definitions such as these the purpose of the disinfecting wipes becomes evident.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disinfect
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinfect
http://www.yourdictionary.com/disinfectant
No comments:
Post a Comment