exterminate

English

WOTD – 30 November 2013, 30 November 2014

Etymology

From Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō, itself from ex- + terminō (“I finish, close, end”) (from terminus (“limit, end”)).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/, /ɪkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
(US) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/, /ɛkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/
Audio (US) (file)

Verb

exterminate (third-person singular simple present exterminates, present participle exterminating, simple past and past participle exterminated)

(transitive) To kill all of (a population of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.
We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
(figuratively, transitive) To bring a definite end to; finish completely.
The public school failed to exterminate truancy.

Synonyms

(to kill all): annihilate, eradicate, extermine, uproot
(to bring an end to): stamp out
See also Thesaurus:destroy

Derived terms

extermination
exterminative
exterminator
exterminatory

Related terms

terminate
termination
terminator

Translations

to kill all of a population

Bashkir: ҡырыу (qırıw)
Bulgarian: изтребвам (bg) (iztrebvam)
Catalan: exterminar (ca)
Czech: vyhladit, vyhubit
Danish: udrydde
Dutch: uitroeien (nl), verdelgen (nl)
French: exterminer (fr)
German: ausrotten (de)
Greek: εξολοθρεύω (el) (exolothrévo), εξοντώνω (el) (exontóno)
Hebrew: חיסל‎
Italian: sterminare (it)
Ladino: eksterminar
Maori: haepapa, hoepapa, whakamōtī, tipihauraro
Persian: ریشه‌کن کردن‎ (riše-kan kardan)
Portuguese: exterminar (pt), erradicar (pt)
Romanian: exterminare (ro) f
Russian: истребля́ть (ru) impf (istrebljátʹ), истреби́ть (ru) pf (istrebítʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: истребити, istrebiti (sh)
Spanish: exterminar (es)
Turkish: kökünü kurutmak
Ukrainian: вини́щувати (vynýščuvaty), виво́дити (vyvódyty) (pests, parasites)
Yiddish: פֿאַרטיליקן‎ (fartilikn)

to bring a definite end to, finish completely

Bulgarian: унищожавам (bg) (uništožavam)
Catalan: exterminar (ca)
Dutch: afmaken (nl), beëindigen (nl), uitroeien (nl)
Greek: επιτυγχάνω (el) (epityncháno)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: لەناوبردن‎ (lenawbirdin)
Ladino: eksterminar
Portuguese: exterminar (pt), aniquilar (pt)
Russian: уничтожа́ть (ru) impf (uničtožátʹ), уничто́жить (ru) pf (uničtóžitʹ)
Yiddish: פֿאַרטיליקן‎ (fartilikn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} exterminer (fr), ^{(please verify)} anéantir (fr)
German: ^{(please verify)} ausrotten (de)

Latin

Verb

extermināte

second-person plural present active imperative of exterminō