Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense cauterizes, present participle cauterizing, past tense, past participle cauterizedregional note: in BRIT, also use cauterise
verb
If a doctorcauterizes a wound, he or she burns it with heat or with a chemical in order to close it up and prevent it from becominginfected.
He cauterized the wound with a piece of red-hot iron. [VERB noun]
