Expunging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Removing something entirely so that no trace remains, such as deleting records or memories
2. Erasing or wiping out information or marks completely, leaving nothing behind
3. Eliminating or obliterating content or evidence in a thorough and permanent manner

Etymology: Latin "pungere" meant "to prick" or "to pierce," and the compound "expungere" meant to prick out, or to mark something for removal by puncturing it. The sense of erasure came from the practice of marking an entry for deletion with a dot or small prick, so that the item was effectively struck from the record. Latin "ex-" ("out") joined to "pungere" gave "expungere," a learned word that English borrowed directly from Latin, so the verb carries its original act of pricking in its root. From that Latin source, the word moved into English as a scholarly term, and its sense stayed close to deleting or wiping out an entry. Over time it broadened from written records to anything removed entirely, including memories, which is how it is used today. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns the verb into a participle form, so "expunging" describes the act of removing something in progress.

Synonyms: removing, erasing, eliminating

Antonyms: inserting, adding