disinfest

[dis-in-fest]

verb (used with object)

1. to rid of insects, rodents, etc.

disinfest

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈfɛst /

verb

1. (tr) to rid of vermin

Other Word Forms

• disinfestation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disinfest¹

First recorded in 1915–20; dis- ¹ + infest

Example Sentences

Then in wrath I too arose from that lowly but lively couch between the oats and the bar and sullenly went out under the starlit sky to find Mr. Gilman energetically whipping his shirt over a wagon wheel to disinfest it from fleas.

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When Berlioz heard Soprano Adelina Patti sing the air, he remarked wryly that "its fragrance alone was sufficient to disinfest the rest of the work."

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