fumigate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fumigate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin fūmigātus, past participle of fūmigāre “to smoke, fumigate,” equivalent to fūm(us) “smoke” + -igāre, combining form of agere “to drive, do”
Explanation
To fumigate is to spray something with fumes, usually to eliminate pests of some kind. A fume is a type of smoke or other gaseous substance, and fumigation is when fumes are used to treat something. Most of the time, a house is fumigated because it has pests in it. If you have cockroaches or bedbugs, you might need to fumigate. Fumigating is a gaseous chemical attack that kills pests and is also dangerous to people and pets, so people clear out before fumigating takes places. The person who fumigates is usually an exterminator.
Vocabulary lists containing fumigate
Tangerine
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The Odyssey
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fumigate only at night when there is no wind.
From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)
Fumigate when the temperature is 70° Fahrenheit or above.
From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William
Fumigate again just before the flowers come out.
From The Book of Pears and Plums by Bartrum, Edward
Fumigate, fūm′i-gāt, v.t. to expose to smoke or gas, to expose to fumes, as of sulphur, for purposes of disinfecting: to perfume.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Fumigate the cask by burning strips of muslin dipped in sulphur as in the preceding recipe.
From Soil Culture by Walden, J. H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
