Pasteurized

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A technique that involves heating a liquid to a specific temperature to eradicate harmful microorganisms while maintaining its nutritional value
2. This method applies thermal processing to liquids to eliminate pathogens and extend their usability without compromising quality
3. A process that heats a liquid to a precise temperature to kill harmful microorganisms and enhance shelf life while preserving essential nutrients

Etymology: Louis Pasteur was a French chemist who, in the 1860s, showed that heating wine and milk to a moderate temperature killed the microbes that spoiled them. The process was named after him, and the verb "pasteurize" was built from his surname, borrowed from French "pasteuriser," with the English suffix "-ize" added to turn a person's name into an action. So the word describes a technique, not a thing: to pasteurize milk is to treat it by heat in Pasteur's manner. The form you have here is the past participle, so "pasteurized" describes something that has already undergone that treatment, such as pasteurized milk. Its base, "pasteurize," traces back to Pasteur's name, as above.

Synonyms: sterilized, heated, processed, treated, cooked

Antonyms: raw, unpasteurized, untreated, unheated, uncooked