GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   Autoclave , n. [F., fr. Gr. αὐτός self + L. clavis key.]
    A kind of French stewpan with a steam-tight lid.
   Knight.
   
   1913 Webster
   a device used for sterilizing objects by exposing them to steam at above atmospheric pressure (and thus at a temperature above the normal boiling point of water). It consists of a closed chamber able to withstand internal pressure, and a means of passing superheated steam into the chamber. Autoclaves are made in various sizes, and are much used in hospitals and research laboratories to render instruments and equipment sterile.
   PJC