Rubout

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To erase writing or marks by rubbing them out ; to deliberately kill or assassinate a person, often secretly
2. The act of removing marks by rubbing, such as with an eraser ; a secretive or intentional killing, usually of a target
3. Eliminating written or drawn material by friction ; carrying out a covert murder or assassination

Etymology: "Rubout" is a deverbal noun, formed by turning the phrasal verb "rub out" into a noun, so it names the act of rubbing something out. "Rub out" itself is built from the plain verb "rub", to move a surface back and forth against something, plus the adverb "out", which here suggests removing something completely. Together they describe wiping away marks until none remain, most often pencil or chalk on a surface. The noun form is the one that tends to surprise readers, since English often makes such nouns from phrasal verbs without much fuss, as with "walkout" or "breakdown". Here the noun simply gives a name to the erasing action as a thing in itself, which is why it is most at home in describing the process rather than the eraser used to carry it out.

Synonyms: elimination, removal, killing