definitions

deracinate

[ dih-ras-uh-neyt ]
/ dɪˈræs əˌneɪt /
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The word deracinate can be used in a few different ways. Deracinate typically is seen in a negative light because to be grounded is to be stable and to be de-rooted is scary. But, sometimes, this word can be turned into a positive experience.

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verb (used with object), de·rac·i·nat·ed, de·rac·i·nat·ing.

to pull up by the roots; uproot; extirpate; eradicate.
to isolate or alienate (a person) from a native or customary culture or environment.

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RELATED WORDS

annihilate, exterminate, displace, demolish, overthrow, overturn, eradicate, expunge, abolish, erase, eliminate, uproot, extinguish, abate, move, remove, extirpate, exile, extract, excavate

Nearby words

deputize, deputy, deputy minister, deputy sheriff, der., deracinate, deradicalize, deraign, derail, derailleur, derailment

Origin of deracinate

1590–1600; < French déracin(er) (equivalent to dé- dis-1 + -raciner, verbal derivative of racine root < Late Latin rādīcīna for Latin rādīc-, stem of rādīx) + -ate1

Related forms

de·rac·i·na·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deracinate

  • You cannot deracinate that wide-rooted dogma within your soul that more money means more joy.

    The Human Machine|E. Arnold Bennett

  • No one by taking thought, can deracinate the mental habits of, say, twenty years.

    Journalism for Women|E.A. Bennett

  • To deracinate Lowell was impossible, and it was for this very reason that he became so serviceable an international personage.

    Modern American Prose Selections|Various

  • Och, and the girls whose poor hearts you deracinate, Whirl and bewilder and flutter and fascinate!

    The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

British Dictionary definitions for deracinate

deracinate

/ (dɪˈræsɪˌneɪt) /

verb (tr)

to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; extirpate
to remove, as from a natural environment

Derived Forms

deracination, noun

Word Origin for deracinate

C16: from Old French desraciner, from des- dis- 1 + racine root, from Late Latin rādīcīna a little root, from Latin rādīx a root
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012