Meanings
plural lyophilizations · alternative lyophilisation
- countableuncountableSynonym of freeze-drying.
After dialysis, the enzyme can be obtained as a dry powder by lyophilization. Lyophilization The process of vacuum-drying substances from the frozen state. The water is sublimated into a trap at low temperature or is absorbed by drying agents. Verb: lyophilize.
1894, United States Department of Agriculture, Crops in Peace and War: The Yearbook of Agriculture (U.S. G.P.O.), p. 74, p. 907Synonyms: freeze-drying
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of freeze-drying.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna 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
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latin-ātiō
- Ancient Greekλύω“to loosen, to dissolve”
- Englishlyophilization
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.
More words from Ancient Greek, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French lyophilisation
- lyophilisationfreeze-drying
German Gefriertrocknung, Lyophilisation
- Gefriertrocknungfreeze-drying
- Lyophilisationfreeze-drying
Greek λυοφιλοποίηση
- λυοφιλοποίηση (lyofilopoíisi)freeze-drying
Polish liofilizacja
- liofilizacjafreeze-drying
Cite this entry
lyophilization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lyophilization
“lyophilization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lyophilization. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lyophilization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lyophilization.
Source: lyophilization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.