Eradicate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈɹæd.ɪ.keɪt/

Definitions

1. To completely destroy, eliminate, or remove something entirely from existence or a particular place
2. To remove or destroy something thoroughly or completely, leading to its total absence or nonexistence in a specific context
3. To eliminate or wipe out something entirely, ensuring it does not remain or reoccur in any form

Etymology: The word's core image is a plant pulled up by its roots. Latin "ērādīcāre" combined "ē-", meaning "out", with "rādīx", meaning "root", so to eradicate something was literally to root it out of the ground. The same Latin root "rādīx" gave English the word "radish", which is a notable connection for a word now mostly used for diseases, prejudice and pests. The word reached English in the form "eradicaten", a Middle English verb borrowed from the Latin past participle "ērādīcātus". The English verb ending "-ate" was later reinterpreted in the verb's past-participle form, and the adjective "eradicate" survived in use into Early Modern English alongside the verb. Across these centuries the sense stayed close to its agricultural origin, removing a thing at its root so that it could not grow back.

Synonyms: eliminate, destroy, remove, obliterate, exterminate

Antonyms: establish, create, introduce, generate, build