obliteration

[ uh-blit-uh-rey-shuh n ]

/ əˌblɪt əˈreɪ ʃən /

the act of obliterating or the state of being obliterated.

Pathology, Surgery. the removal of a part as a result of disease or surgery.

Nearby words

1650–60; < Latin oblitterātiōn- (stem of oblitterātiō), equivalent to oblitterāt(us) (see obliterate) + -iōn- -ion

ob·lit·er·a·tive

[uh-blit-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv] /əˈblɪt əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv/, adjective

For the moment, passion for the vivid woman-creature before him had dulled that profounder feeling almost to obliteration.
The Clarion|Samuel Hopkins Adams
The word though, by the obliteration of three letters, may be as easily read as the or that.
Practical Education, Volume I|Maria Edgeworth
The obstacles which stand in the way of this obliteration, at the outset, are two.
Evolution|Frank B. Jevons
Of course, such a strenuous expansion means the obliteration of landmarks of the past.
Years of My Youth|William Dean Howells

If a continuity of shore-line once existed, it would involve the obliteration of the Isthmus.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan