Translation
to exterminate, to wipe out
Word origin
From Latin exterminare, 'to drive beyond the boundary', built from ex- and terminus, a border stone. To exterminate was originally to banish rather than to destroy.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- exterminare
- English cognates
- exterminate, terminus, determine
Examples
.
He exterminated the insects in his garden.
, .
We have to wipe out that weed, because it covers everything.
.
One can exterminate insects without poison.
In practice belongs to the garden and the pantry: pests, weeds, the ants under the step. It is stronger than detrui, because it means removing every last one rather than breaking something.
The first three letters are the trap. Esperanto has the prefix -, which marks the beginning of an action (i, to set off), so reads at a glance as - plus a verb stermi. There is no such verb. The root is eksterm-, borrowed whole from Latin, and it is not built from Esperanto's ('outside') either, however neatly that would fit the Latin sense of driving something beyond the border.
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ekstermi: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "ekstermi" (to exterminate, to wipe out): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 38.