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Added 10 October 2026

exterminate

/ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/ verb

Latin root: exterminātus Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about exterminate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Kill en masse; kill on a large scale; kill many.
Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and homosexuals of Europe
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots.
the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted

Origin

Borrowed from Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + terminō (“to finish, close, end”), from terminus (“limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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