cauterise – To burn flesh with a heated iron to stop bleeding and avoid infection

(Pronounced kaw-ter-ize)

To remember the definition of the word cauterise, use the following mnemonic:

They caught her and gave her a surprise (cauterise) but the heated iron did stop the bleeding. 

Examples of cauterise in a sentence

Their only option to stop the bleeding was to cauterise the wound. 

The iron wasn't hot enough to cauterise the wound and only made matters worse. 

They decided the best course of action was to amputate and then cauterise the leg.