extermination

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ɪkˌstɜrmɪˈneɪʃən/ UK /ɪkˌstɜːmɪˈneɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the complete destruction or eradication of something

The campaign aimed at the extermination of the crop-eating beetle.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the complete destruction or... eradication annihilation destruction elimination extirpation obliteration liquidation

Opposites

preservation protection creation propagation

Word family

Related forms exterminateexterminatorexterminatory

Etymology

From Late Latin exterminationem, from Latin exterminare ('to drive out, banish'), from ex- ('out') + terminus ('boundary, limit').

exterminare Latin terminus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

# extermination

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ɪkˌstɜrmɪˈneɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ɪkˌstɜːmɪˈneɪʃən

## Meanings
1. the complete destruction or eradication of something

## Examples
- The campaign aimed at the extermination of the crop-eating beetle.

## Synonyms
- eradication
- annihilation
- destruction
- elimination
- extirpation
- obliteration
- liquidation

## Antonyms
- preservation
- protection
- creation
- propagation

## Related Forms
- exterminate
- exterminator
- exterminatory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exterminare
- Root: terminus

## Etymology
From Late Latin exterminationem, from Latin exterminare ('to drive out, banish'), from ex- ('out') + terminus ('boundary, limit').

## AI Etymology
Extermination comes from Late Latin exterminationem, from Latin exterminare ('to drive out, banish'), from ex- ('out') + terminus ('boundary, limit'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "the complete destruction or eradication of something", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as exterminate, exterminator, and exterminatory, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exterminare and Latin terminus, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by eradication, annihilation, destruction, and elimination on one side and contrasts such as preservation, protection, and creation on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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extermination

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