devastate

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈdev.ə.stæɪt/ UK /ˈdɛv.ə.steɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #35486

Meanings

1

verb
To destroy a place or area very badly.

The earthquake devastated several villages.
2

verb
To make someone feel extremely upset and shocked.

She was devastated when her best friend moved away.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to destroy a place or area... desolate

More decimate destroy raze ruin

Word family

Forms devastateddevastates

Derived forms devastateddevastatingdevastative

Related forms devastationdevastavit

Simplified etymology

Devastate dates from the mid-17th century and derives from Latin vastus “unoccupied, uncultivated, void,” the root also underlying waste and vast. Its stated meaning was “waste thoroughly.”

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”). See vast. First attested in 1638.

*h₁weh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# devastate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈdev.ə.stæɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdɛv.ə.steɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 35486

## Meanings
1. To destroy a place or area very badly.
2. To make someone feel extremely upset and shocked.

## Examples
- The earthquake devastated several villages.
- She was devastated when her best friend moved away.

## Synonyms
- decimate
- destroy
- raze
- ruin

## Derived Forms
- devastated
- devastating
- devastative

## Related Forms
- devastation
- devastavit

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₁weh₂-

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”). See vast. First attested in 1638.

## AI Etymology
devastate was borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”). See vast. First attested in 1638. Current senses include to destroy a place or area very badly and to make someone feel extremely upset and shocked. English relatives and later formations include devastated, devastating, devastative, devastation, devastavit.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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