Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Sterilization \Ster`il*i*za"tion\, n. (Biol.)
   The act or process of sterilizing, or rendering sterile;
   also, the state of being sterile.

Source : WordNet®

sterilization
     n 1: the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to
          reproduce) [syn: {sterilisation}]
     2: the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or
        other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
        [syn: {sterilisation}]