Liquidate
/ˈlɪkwɪdeɪt/noun
To settle or clear a debt, account, or company; also to eliminate or destroy.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin roots meaning “to make liquid” or “make clear,” and in older legal usage it meant making accounts flow cleanly before it took on its harsher modern senses.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
liquidus
“fluid, flowing, clear”
Late Latin
Latin
liquidare
“to make liquid; to melt; to clarify”
16th Century
English
liquidate
“to make clear or settle an account or debt”
19th Century
English
liquidate
“to pay off debts by converting assets into cash”
20th Century
English
liquidate
“to eliminate or destroy, especially a person or organization”