Final answer:
Sterilization is the process of completely removing or killing all microorganisms from an object or environment. It is typically used in laboratory, medical, manufacturing, and food industry settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process by which an object is subjected to a chemical or physical substance, such as super-heated steam that kills all microorganisms on its surface, is called sterilization. Sterilization involves the complete removal or killing of all vegetative cells, endospores, and viruses from the targeted item or environment. This process is typically reserved for laboratory, medical, manufacturing, and food industry settings where it is crucial to have items completely free of potentially infectious agents.