estéril
“estéril” means “sterile” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
sterile, barren
Also: infertile
📝 In Action
Después de muchos incendios, la tierra se volvió estéril.
B1After many fires, the land became barren.
Algunas mulas son animales estériles por naturaleza.
B2Some mules are naturally sterile animals.
El desierto es un lugar estéril donde pocas plantas crecen.
A2The desert is a barren place where few plants grow.
sterile
Also: sanitized
📝 In Action
El cirujano necesita guantes estériles.
B2The surgeon needs sterile gloves.
Debes mantener la herida en un ambiente estéril.
B1You must keep the wound in a sterile environment.
Toda la instrumentación médica está estéril.
B2All the medical instrumentation is sterile.
fruitless, futile
Also: pointless
📝 In Action
Fue una discusión estéril que no resolvió nada.
C1It was a fruitless discussion that resolved nothing.
Pasaron años en un esfuerzo estéril por cambiar el sistema.
C1They spent years in a futile effort to change the system.
A veces las palabras son estériles sin acciones.
B2Sometimes words are useless without actions.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: estéril
Question 1 of 3
Which of these is a 'discusión estéril'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'sterilis,' which was used to describe land that didn't produce crops or animals that couldn't have babies.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'estéril' change for feminine nouns?
No. Because it ends in a consonant, it is the same for both masculine and feminine. You can say 'el hombre estéril' and 'la mujer estéril'.
Is it different from 'infértil'?
They are very similar. 'Infértil' is usually just for biological inability to have children. 'Estéril' is broader and can mean medically clean or figuratively useless.
Where is the accent mark?
The accent is on the second 'e' (tildada). This is because the stress is on the second-to-last syllable, and the word ends in a consonant other than 'n' or 's'.