Where does “exterminate” come from?
Exterminate comes from Latin exterminatus, past participle of extermino, formed from the prefix ex- meaning "out" and a root from Proto-Indo-European eǵ-.
exterminate (English): To kill or otherwise permanently eliminate all of (a population, often of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally
Definitions
- To kill or otherwise permanently eliminate all of (a population, often of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally
Ancestry of “exterminate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | exterminatus | expelled, exiled, banished; abolished,... |
| 2 | Latin | exterminō | to expel, exile or banish |
| 3 | Latin | terminō | to mark off by boundaries, set bounds to; bound, limit |
| 4 | Latin | Terminus | the deity presiding over boundaries; a personification of the term terminus |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ter- | tender, weak; young creature |
| 6 | Italian | termine | end, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word |
| 7 | Latin | terminus | a boundary, limit, end |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | termenos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | térmn̥ | boundary, end |