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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary oblit·er·ate \\ə-ˈbli-tə-ˌrāt, ō-\\ transitive verb (-at·ed ; -at·ing) ETYMOLOGY Latin oblitteratus, past participle of oblitterare, from ob- ob- + littera letter DATE 1600 1. a. to remove utterly from recognition or memory b. to remove from existence : destroy utterly all trace, indication, or significance of c. to cause to disappear (as a bodily part or a scar) or collapse (as a duct conveying body fluid) : remove 4 a blood vessel obliterated by inflammation 2. to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or wearing away 3. cancel 4• oblit·er·a·tion \\-ˌbli-tə-ˈrā-shən\\ noun • oblit·er·a·tor \\-ˈbli-tə-ˌrā-tər\\ noun English Etymology obliterate c.1600, from L. obliteratus, pp. of obliterare "cause to disappear, efface," from ob "against" + littera (also litera) "letter, script" (see letter); abstracted from phrase literas scribere "write across letters, strike out letters." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 obliterate ob·lit·er·ate / E5blitEreit / verb[VN] [often passive] to remove all signs of sth, either by destroying or covering it completely 毁掉；覆盖；清除: The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。 The snow had obliterated their footprints. 白雪覆盖了他们的足迹。 Everything that happened that night was obliterated from his memory. 那天夜里发生的一切都从他的记忆中消失了。 • ob·lit·er·ation / E7blitE5reiFn / noun [U] Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English obliterate verb ADV. completely, entirely, totally The village was totally obliterated by the bomb. | almost, virtually Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged ob·lit·er·ate I. \-rə̇t\ adjective Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare to obliterate 1. : blotted out : obliterated 2. : faint , indistinct , obscure — used especially of markings on an insectII. \-ˌrāt, usu -ād.+V\ verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare, probably from ob- to, against, over + litera, littera letter — more at ob- , letter transitive verb 1. : to remove from significance and bring to nothingness: as a. : to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring, covering, or wearing or chipping away < a dimness … envelops consciousness as mist obliterates a crag — Emily Dickinson > < only copper so worn that even the stamp is obliterated — Amy Lowell > b. : to remove utterly from recognition, cognizance, consideration, or memory < a successful love crowned all other successes and obliterated all other failures — J.W.Krutch > c. (1) : to remove from existence : make nonexistent : destroy utterly all traces, indications, significance of < many of our monuments … seem to shout for a friendly zeppelin to obliterate them — W.R.Inge > (2) : to cause to disappear (as a body part, scar, or the lumen of a duct) : remove < possible to obliterate the gall bladder by electrosurgical methods > 2. : to withdraw utterly from attention and make as inconspicuous as if nonexistent < those hero-worshipers who obliterate themselves — Robert Lynd > 3. : cancel intransitive verb : to become obliterated Synonyms: see erase |
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