Obsoleted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause something to become outdated or no longer relevant due to advancements or changes in circumstances
2. To make an idea, method, or product unnecessary as a result of innovation or progress
3. To render something old-fashioned or no longer in use by introducing a superior replacement

Etymology: Obsoleted is simply the past tense and past participle of "obsolete," so the story belongs to the root verb. That root comes from Latin "obsolētus," meaning "worn out" or "gone out of use," the past participle of "obsolēscere," "to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay." The Latin verb was itself built from "obs-," a form of "ob" meaning "against" or "toward," and "olēscere," an inceptive form of "olere," "to grow" or "to smell," which is why the sense of wearing down and ageing is built into it. English took the word directly from Latin, so it is a borrowing rather than something inherited through French. The original sense was physical deterioration, something worn away by time or use, and the meaning narrowed over the centuries to things that have fallen out of current use. Adding "-ed" simply gives the verb's past form, so "obsoleted" describes something that has been made outdated by a process or decision.

Synonyms: deprecated, discontinued, rendered obsolete, outdated, superseded