Debellate
/dɪˈbɛl.əteɪt/noun
To end a war by defeating an enemy completely.
Did you know?Debellate comes from Latin *dēbellāre*, and its core is the same *bell-* root behind *belligerent* and *rebellion*—a root tied to war, not bells.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷel-
“to strike, pierce, wound”
Latin
Latin
bellum
“war”
Latin
Latin
dēbellāre
“to conquer, subdue completely in war”
Late Middle English
English
debellaten
“to defeat or subdue in war”
Modern English
English
debellate
“to end a war by defeating an enemy completely”
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