Disinstall

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove an application or program that has been installed on a computer or device
2. To uninstall or strip away software that has been set up on a system
3. To delete an installed application from a computer so it no longer occupies storage space or functions on the device

Etymology: "Install" began as a formal ceremony. It comes from Medieval Latin "installare," built from "in-" and "stallum," meaning a seat or stall, so to install someone was to seat them in an office or dignity. English took the verb through French, and it kept that ceremonial sense for centuries before it came to mean setting up equipment or software. "Dis-" is a Latin prefix meaning apart or reversed, as in "disconnect" and "dismount." Attached to "install," it produces a verb meaning to remove something that was set up. Most English speakers would reach for "uninstall" instead, which uses the native "un-" prefix, and "uninstall" is by far the more common form in software contexts. "Disinstall" is a rarer variant built on the same reversing logic.

Synonyms: uninstall, remove

Antonyms: install