Word Study
inactivate
CIDE DICTIONARY
inactivate, v. t.
to make inactive; as, boiling will inactivate most enzymes; acetylation of the antibiotic inactivated it. [WordNet 1.5]
" To inactivate an enzyme or chemical usually renders it permanently inactive; to inactivate a machine (as by turning a switch) may be reversible, and for machines and devices, the term deactivate is usually used. The distinction is worth preserving." [PJC]
THESAURUS
inactivate
bugger, cripple, de-energize, debilitate, disable, disenable, drain, enfeeble, hamstring, hors de combat, incapacitate, kibosh, lame, maim, put, queer, queer the works, sabotage, spike, unfit, weaken, wing, wreckROGET THESAURUS
inactivate
Unproductiveness
VB be unproductive, hang fire, flash in the pan, come to nothing, sterilize, addle, disable, inactivate.For further exploring for "inactivate" in Webster Dictionary Online