This is the 8876th most frequent Catalan word.
estèril
In English, "estèril" means "sterile" or "barren."
In this sentence, 'estèril' refers to the soil's barrenness, a literal description of lack of fertility.
El terreny era estèril i no produïa cap fruit.
The soil was barren and did not produce any fruit.
Here, 'estèril' is used metaphorically to describe arguments lacking effectiveness or productivity.
Després del debat, els arguments van semblar estèrils.
After the debate, the arguments seemed unproductive.
In this context, 'estèril' pertains to the cleanliness and lack of microorganisms in the lab environment.