Eliminatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Defined by the capacity to exclude or eradicate components
2. Having the power or function to remove or get rid of something unwanted
3. Relating to the action of excluding or eradicating certain elements or factors

Etymology: "Eliminatory" is built in the plainest way: the verb "eliminate" with the suffix "-ory" attached. "Eliminate" itself comes from Latin "eliminare", meaning to drive out of doors or threshold, from "e-" (out) and "limen" (threshold), so the word's core image is of pushing something across a boundary and out. The suffix has a longer ancestry, running from Latin "-torius" through Old French into Middle English as "-orie" and later "-ory", a pattern that turns verbs into adjectives meaning "serving to" or "relating to" an action. The adjective therefore describes anything that serves to eliminate, or that belongs to the process of eliminating. Its meaning is a direct reflection of its parts, with no special twist along the way, which makes it a good example of how English builds new adjectives from existing verbs.

Synonyms: removal, exclusion, dismissive, disqualifying, subtracting

Antonyms: inclusory, additive, permissive, advancing, enabling