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disinter

[dis-in-tur]
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verb (used with object), dis·in·terred, dis·in·ter·ring.
  1. to take out of the place of interment; exhume; unearth.
  2. to bring from obscurity into view: The actor's autobiography disinterred a past era.
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Origin of disinter

First recorded in 1605–15; dis-1 + inter
Related formsdis·in·ter·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

unearthexposedisentomb

Examples from the Web for disinterred

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • You should have heard the disinterred body of Mr. Kurtz saying, 'My Intended.'

    Heart of Darkness

    Joseph Conrad

  • All the specimens of this group were disinterred from the ruins of this fort.

  • During the succeeding days many were disinterred by other shells.

    The Emma Gees

    Herbert Wes McBride

  • We photographed him from all angles, after which he was disinterred and exposed to full view.

    In Africa

    John T. McCutcheon

  • When disinterred, the body was reported free from all corruption.

British Dictionary definitions for disinterred

disinter

verb -ters, -terring or -terred (tr)
  1. to remove or dig up; exhume
  2. to bring (a secret, hidden facts, etc) to light; expose
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Derived Formsdisinterment, noun
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

Word Origin and History for disinterred

disinter

v.

1610s, from French désenterrer (15c.), from dés- (see dis-) + enterrer "to inter" (see inter). Related: Disinterred.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper