exterminate
UK[ɪkˈstɜːmɪneɪt]US[ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪt]
v
to destroy or kill a large group of people, animals, or other living things completely.
v
to get rid of something completely, especially something harmful or unwanted.
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
termin
ate
ex
out
termin
boundary
ate
verb suffix
Etymology
the word 'exterminate' originates from the latin verb 'exterminare', which itself is built from the prefix 'ex-' meaning 'out' and 'terminus' meaning 'boundary or limit'. the original latin sense was literally 'to drive beyond the boundaries, to banish'. this concrete meaning evolved through late latin and old french into the more severe and final english sense of 'to destroy utterly'. the logic of the word's formation thus shifted from the idea of expulsion from a defined space to the complete removal of something from existence, pushing it beyond the boundary of life or presence.
Analysis
Structure: ex (out) + termin (boundary) + ate (verb suffix)
ex- (latin origin, meaning 'out of, thoroughly'); termin (latin origin, from 'terminus', meaning 'boundary, limit'); -ate (latin origin, a verb-forming suffix).
Examples
the government launched a campaign to exterminate the invasive insect species.
such brutal regimes have sought to exterminate entire ethnic groups.
the new pesticide is designed to exterminate the termite colony completely.