elimination

American  

[ih-lim-uh-ney-shuhn] / ɪˌlɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of eliminating.

2. the state of being eliminated.

3. Mathematics. the process of solving a system of simultaneous equations by using various techniques to remove the variables successively.

4. Sports. a game, bout, or match in a tournament in which an individual or team is eliminated from the competition after one defeat.

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elimination British  

/ ɪˌlɪmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of eliminating or the state of being eliminated

2. logic (qualified by the name of an operation) a syntactic rule specifying the conditions under which a formula or statement containing the specified operation may permit the derivation of others that do not contain it

   conjunction-elimination

   universal elimination

3. chem a type of chemical reaction involving the loss of a simple molecule, such as water or carbon dioxide

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• proelimination
  adjective
• preelimination
  noun
• nonelimination
  noun

Etymology

Origin of elimination

First recorded in 1595–1605; eliminate + -ion

Explanation

Elimination is the process of getting rid of something, whether it’s waste, errors, or the competition. Elimination comes from the Latin word limen, which means threshold. The Romans added an “e” to the beginning and created the verb eliminare, which means to banish or to push over the threshold and out the door. If you solve a multiple-choice question on a test using the process of elimination, you rule out the wrong possibilities one by one until you find the right answer.

Related Words

• destruction
• eradication
• expulsion
• rejection
• withdrawal