removal
Meaning
the act of taking something or someone away from a place
the act of getting rid of something
the act of forcing someone to leave an official position
Structure
Usage
The removal of the old furniture took all afternoon.
The stain resisted all attempts at its removal.
His removal from the board of directors was a surprise to everyone.
Etymology
The word "removal" is built upon the Latin verb movere, meaning "to move," which descends from the Proto-Indo-European root mew-, "to push away." The prefix re-, meaning "back" or "again," was attached to form the Latin verb removere, "to move back or away." This verb entered Middle English via Anglo-French as removen. The modern noun "removal" was subsequently formed in English by appending the Latinate suffix -al, which denotes an action or its result, thus concretizing the abstract process of "moving something away."
Analysis
- re: Latin origin. A prefix meaning "again" or "back." - mov: Latin origin. A root from the verb movere, meaning "to move." - al: Latin origin via French. A noun-forming suffix indicating an action or process.