denude
UK[dɪˈnjuːd]US[dɪˈnuːd]
v
to strip something of its covering, vegetation, or assets, making it bare.
v
to expose the underlying layer of something by removing a surface covering.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
nude
de
remove
nude
bare
Etymology
the word 'denude' is a direct borrowing from latin 'denudare', which is itself a compound of the prefix 'de-' (meaning 'completely, away') and the adjective 'nudus' (meaning 'naked'). the literal sense of the latin verb was 'to strip bare, to make naked'. this concrete meaning was carried directly into english in the 16th century, initially used in physical contexts like stripping land of trees or rocks of soil. over time, the logic of removal and exposure allowed the term to be applied more abstractly, such as denuding a company of its assets, while retaining its core sense of rendering something bare or exposed.
Analysis
Structure: de (remove) + nude (bare)
de- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'down, away, off, removal'); nude (from latin 'nudus', meaning 'bare, naked').
Examples
the logging operations threatened to denude the hillside of its ancient forest.
centuries of erosion have denuded the mountain, leaving only bare rock.
the scandal served to denude the corporation of its carefully constructed public image.