Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
exterminate. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
exterminate, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
exterminate in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
exterminate you have here. The definition of the word
exterminate will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
exterminate, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō, itself from ex- + terminō (“I finish, close, end”) (from terminus (“limit, end”)).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/, /ɪkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/, /ɛkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/
Verb
exterminate (third-person singular simple present exterminates, present participle exterminating, simple past and past participle exterminated)
- (transitive) To kill all of (a population of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.
We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Geth Codex entry:The geth are a humanoid race of networked A.I.s. They were created by the quarians 300 years ago as tools of labor and war. When the geth showed signs of self-evolution, the quarians attempted to exterminate them. The geth won the resulting war. This example has led to legal, systematic repression of artificial intelligences in galactic society.
- (figuratively, transitive) To bring a definite end to; finish completely.
The public school failed to exterminate truancy.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to kill all of a population
- Bashkir: ҡырыу (qırıw)
- Bulgarian: изтребвам (bg) (iztrebvam)
- Catalan: exterminar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 滅絕 / 灭绝 (zh) (mièjué)
- Czech: vyhladit, vyhubit (cs)
- Danish: udrydde
- Dutch: uitroeien (nl), verdelgen (nl)
- French: exterminer (fr)
- German: ausrotten (de)
- Greek: εξολοθρεύω (el) (exolothrévo), εξοντώνω (el) (exontóno)
- Hebrew: חיסל
- Italian: sterminare (it)
- Ladino: eksterminar
- Maori: haepapa, hoepapa, whakamōtī, tipihauraro
- Persian: ریشهکن کردن (riše-kan kardan)
- Portuguese: exterminar (pt), erradicar (pt)
- Romanian: exterminare (ro) f
- Russian: истребля́ть (ru) impf (istrebljátʹ), истреби́ть (ru) pf (istrebítʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian: истребити, istrebiti (sh)
- Spanish: exterminar (es)
- Turkish: kökünü kurutmak
- Ukrainian: вини́щувати (vynýščuvaty), виво́дити (vyvódyty) (pests, parasites)
- Yiddish: פֿאַרטיליקן (fartilikn)
|
to bring a definite end to, finish completely
Translations to be checked
Latin
Verb
extermināte
- second-person plural present active imperative of exterminō
Spanish
Verb
exterminate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of exterminar combined with te