Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “extermine” come from?

extermine (English) comes from French exterminer, from Latin exterminō, from Latin terminō, from Latin Terminus, from Proto-Indo-European ter-, from Italian termine, from Latin terminus, from Proto-Italic termenos — boundary, end.

extermine (English): To exterminate; to destroy

Definitions

  1. To exterminate; to destroy

Ancestry of “extermine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchexterminerto exterminate
2Latinexterminō—
3Latinterminō—
4LatinTerminus—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
6Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
7Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
8Proto-Italictermenos—
9Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥ →