Pronounced: pree-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl (alt: prih-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl), adj
Notes: An interesting word (see the discussion tomorrow)
Yesterday’s word
The word extirpate means
- to destroy completely; wipe out
- to pull up by the root
- to cut out by surgery
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Background / Comments
When our word first came into English, it meant “to clear of stumps” or “to pull something up by the root”. A plant (or weed) thus pulled is wiped out, and thus the first meaning above came into existence. Our word came from the Latin prefix ex- (out) and the Latin noun stirps (trunk; root).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 