extirpate

[ ek-ster-peyt, ik-stur-peyt ]
See synonyms for: extirpateextirpationextirpative on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ex·tir·pat·ed, ex·tir·pat·ing.
  1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.

  2. to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up: to extirpate an unwanted hair.

Origin of extirpate

1
First recorded in 1530–40; from 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

Other words from extirpate

  • ex·tir·pa·tion [ek-ster-pey-shuhn], /ˌɛk stərˈpeɪ ʃən/, noun
  • ex·tir·pa·tive, adjective
  • ex·tir·pa·tor, noun

Words Nearby extirpate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use extirpate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for extirpate

extirpate

/ (ˈɛkstəˌpeɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to remove or destroy completely

  2. to pull up or out; uproot

  1. to remove (an organ or part) surgically

Origin of extirpate

1
C16: from Latin exstirpāre to root out, from stirps root, stock

Derived forms of extirpate

  • extirpation, noun
  • extirpative, adjective
  • extirpator, noun

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