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deracinate

[ dih-ras-uh-neyt ]
/ dɪˈræs əˌneɪt /
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See synonyms for deracinate on Thesaurus.com
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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Origin of deracinate

First recorded in 1590–1600; from French déracin(er), equivalent to dé- + -raciner, verbal derivative of racine “root,” from Late Latin rādīcīna for Latin rādīc-, stem of rādīx + -ate; see origin at dis-1, root1, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM deracinate

de·rac·i·na·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to deracinate

abolish, annihilate, eliminate, erase, expunge, exterminate, extinguish, stamp out, uproot, weed out, wipe out, demolish, displace, eradicate, overthrow, overturn, abate, efface, extirpate, liquidate

How to use deracinate in a sentence

  • His deracination begins with the education that sends him to Paris, there to lose his originality.

    Egoists|James Huneker

  • They can be explained—in part at least—in terms of that social deracination to which reference has already been made.

    Modern Religious Cults and Movements|Gaius Glenn Atkins

  • No child was ever made the subject of a more complete theory of deracination.

    The American Spirit in Literature,|Bliss Perry

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 of deracinate

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
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