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extirpate

[ ek-ster-peyt, ik-stur-peyt ]
/ ˈɛk stərˌpeɪt, ɪkˈstɜr peɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extirpate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ex·tir·pat·ed, ex·tir·pat·ing.

to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.
to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up: to extirpate an unwanted hair.

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RELATED WORDS

efface, demolish, excise, exterminate, expunge, remove, abolish, abate, erase, kill, eliminate, annihilate, extinguish, raze, eradicate, deracinate, exsect

Nearby words

  1. extinctive,
  2. extine,
  3. extinguish,
  4. extinguishant,
  5. extinguisher,
  6. extirpation,
  7. extn.,
  8. extol,
  9. extoll,
  10. extorsion

Origin of extirpate

1530–40; < Latin ex(s)tirpātus plucked up by the stem (past participle of ex(s)tirpāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1 + stirp- (stem of stirps) stem + -ātus -ate1
Related formsex·tir·pa·tion, nounex·tir·pa·tive, adjectiveex·tir·pa·tor, nounun·ex·tir·pat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extirpate

British Dictionary definitions for extirpate

extirpate

/ (ˈɛkstəˌpeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to remove or destroy completely
to pull up or out; uproot
to remove (an organ or part) surgically
Derived Formsextirpation, nounextirpative, adjectiveextirpator, noun

Word Origin for extirpate

C16: from Latin exstirpāre to root out, from stirps root, stock
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 extirpate

extirpate

v.

1530s, usually figurative, from Latin extirpatus/exstirpatus, past participle of extirpare/exstirpare (see extirpation). Related: Extirpated; extirpating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper