denude
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make naked or bare; strip.
The storm completely denuded the trees.
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Geology. to subject to denudation.
verb
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to divest of covering; make bare; uncover; strip
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to expose (rock) by the erosion of the layers above
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of denude
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin dēnūdāre, equivalent to dē- de- + nūdāre “to lay bare”; see nude
Explanation
When you denude something, you expose it by taking away what covers or protects it. Loggers who clearcut forests denude them of all trees. There are both natural and human-related ways to denude a piece of land or an area of the earth's surface. The erosion of sea water on the coast can denude beaches and coastlines, eroding and wearing them away. Pesticides used on large farms can denude entire regions of honey bees. The word comes from a Latin root, denudare, "to lay bare, strip, or expose," from de-, "away," and nudare, "to strip."
Vocabulary lists containing denude
Selected Short Stories of H.G. Wells
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The Underground Railroad
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Wise Blood
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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.
They’re also here to eat huge swaths of cropland, denude trees and other plant life, and generally wreak havoc on the West and its agriculture.
From Slate • Jul. 12, 2021
They have a voracious appetite that can denude entire forests of leaves, said University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum, a past society president.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 9, 2021
They're also being told not to denude grocery shelves by hoarding food and other essentials.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2020
But by Thanksgiving, the critters denude my winterberry shrubs of their brilliant scarlet berries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2015
Biscuit was a little awkward, but he managed to denude a large potato of its foliage and handed it to Sube for approval.
From Sube Cane by Partridge, Edward Bellamy
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.
