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deleterious

[ del-i-teer-ee-uhs ]
/ ˌdɛl ɪˈtÉŖÉ™r i əs /
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adjective
injurious to health: deleterious gases.
harmful; injurious: deleterious influences.
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Origin of deleterious

1635–45; <Greek dēlētįø—rios destructive, adj. derivative of dēlētįø—r destroyer, equivalent to dēlē- variant stem of dēleĆ®sthai to hurt, injure + -tēr agent suffix + -ios adj. suffix; see -ious

OTHER WORDS FROM deleterious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use deleterious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deleterious

deleterious
/ (ˌdɛlɪˈtÉŖÉ™rÉŖÉ™s) /

adjective
harmful; injurious; hurtful

Derived forms of deleterious

deleteriously, adverbdeleteriousness, noun

Word Origin for deleterious

C17: from New Latin dēlētērius, from Greek dēlētērios injurious, destructive, from dēleisthai to hurt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for deleterious

deleterious
[ dĕl′ĭ-tĆ®r′ē-əs ]

adj.
Having a harmful effect; injurious.
The American HeritageĀ® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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