What does necrotize mean?
Necrotize means to undergo necrosis, the death of cells or tissue, or, transitively, to cause such tissue death. In medical and scientific contexts, it describes a serious process in which living tissue stops functioning and dies, often because of infection, inadequate blood supply, toxins, burns, or other injury. The word can be used without an object, as in “the tissue began to necrotize,” or with one, as in “the infection may necrotize the surrounding muscle.” Its connotations are strongly clinical and generally grave because tissue death can threaten both the affected body part and the patient’s health. Although “necrotize” is used chiefly in North American English, it is also understood internationally; British English more often prefers “necrose.” The related adjective “necrotic” describes tissue that has died, while the noun “necrosis” names the condition itself.
verbTo undergo necrosis, the death of cells or tissue; transitively, to cause necrosis in tissue.
- To undergo necrosis; to become necrotic.
- To cause necrosis in tissue.
"Without prompt treatment, the infected tissue may begin to necrotize."
"The tissue began to necrotize as the infection spread."
"The toxin can necrotize surrounding tissue within hours."
Necrotize names the moment when living tissue actually dies, turning a medical condition into a visible process.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does necrotize come from?
Necrotize combines the combining form necro-, derived from Greek nékros, meaning “dead,” with the suffix -ize, which forms verbs expressing an action or resulting state. The same Greek root underlies necrosis, necrotic, necrology, and other English words concerning death, especially the death of bodily tissue. The verb entered English in the medical vocabulary of the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How necrotize is actually used
This is primarily a medical and scientific verb. It is used intransitively for tissue undergoing death and transitively for an agent or condition causing tissue death. British English commonly uses the alternative form “necrose.”
Easily confused with necrotize
Necrosis is the noun naming the death of cells or tissue, whereas necrotize is the verb describing that process or causing it to occur.