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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary ex·ter·mi·nate (-nat·ed ; -nat·ing) ETYMOLOGY Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare,from ex- + terminus boundary — more at term DATE 1591 : to get rid of completely usually by killing off exterminate termites and cockroaches Synonyms. exterminate , extirpate , eradicate , uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something. exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals exterminate cockroaches extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation many species have been extirpated from the area eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself a campaign to eradicate illiteracy uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction the war uprooted thousands English Etymology exterminate 1541, from L. exterminare "drive out, expel," also, in L.L."destroy," from phrase ex termine "beyond the boundary," from ex- "out of" + termine, abl. of termen "boundary, limit, end." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 exterminate ex·ter·min·ate / ik5stE:mineit; NAmE -5stE:rm- / verb[VN] to kill all the members of a group of people or animals 灭绝；根除；消灭；毁灭 SYN wipe out
• ex·ter·min·ation / ik7stE:mi5neiFn; NAmE -7stE:rm- / noun [U] OLT exterminate verb ⇨ destroy Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged ex·ter·mi·nate \ikˈstərməˌnāt, ek-, -stə̄m-, -stəim-, usu -ād.+V\ transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare, from ex- ex- (I) + terminus boundary, limit, end — more at term 1. obsolete : to drive out or away (as from the boundaries of a country) : banish , expel 2. : to get rid of (as by killing) < exterminating rats > : put an end to : root out : eradicate , extirpate < exterminating every error > : put out of existence : utterly destroy : annihilate < the cataclysm exterminated all life > Synonyms: exterminate , extirpate , eradicate , uproot , deracinate , and wipe (out) can mean to bring about the destruction or abolition of something. exterminate implies utter extinction usually by killing off < using every feeble attempt at retaliation as an excuse to exterminate whole tribes — R.A.Billington > < following the attempt of the people to exterminate feudalism — American Guide Series: New Jersey > extirpate usually applies to the extinction of a race, family, species, or growth, often by the destruction or removal of the means by which a thing is propagated < the gray wolf and the black bear have been extirpated — American Guide Series: Massachusetts > < the trailing arbutus … has been almost extirpated — American Guide Series: Delaware > < the ancient Athenians had been extirpated by repeated wars and massacres — Robert Graves > < another set of measures are intended to get closer to the roots of the evil and to extirpate them — Frank Gorrell > eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has taken root or has established itself < federal and municipal housing groups are cooperating to eradicate slums — American Guide Series: New York City > < if you eradicate a fault, you leave room for a worse one to take root and flourish — L.P.Smith > uproot suggests a forcible removal as by tearing up by the roots, not often suggesting elimination < a tribe uprooted by war and famine and forced to settle in new territory > < nor was it going to be easy to uproot deep-seated tendencies toward corruption — Collier's Year Book > deracinate implies an uprooting or, more commonly, a separation from a rootstock < he is not the deracinated and rootless author he has sometimes been thought to be — R.B.West > < although the author is himself a Negro, his book is so deracinated, without any of the lively qualities of the imagination peculiar to his people — Commentary > wipe (out) is often interchangeable with exterminate but often applies to a canceling or obliteration as by payment or retaliation or by exhaustion of supplies < discover which species still survive and which have been wiped out — Manchester Guardian Weekly > < a nerve gas that could wipe out the populations of enemy cities — New York Times > < wipe out corruption > < wipe out a debt > < the depression wiped out his savings > |
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