Obliterate
/əˈblɪt.ə.reɪt/noun
To destroy completely or erase all traces of something.
Did you know?Obliterate comes from Latin oblitterare, literally “to make letterless,” from littera meaning “letter,” so its oldest sense was about wiping writing away, not leveling cities.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
oblitterare
“to blot out writing; to erase from memory”
Late Latin
Latin
oblitteratus
“blotted out, erased”
Middle French
Old French
obliterer
“to erase, destroy traces of”
15th Century
English
obliteraten
“to efface writing or memory of”
Modern English
English
obliterate
“to destroy completely; wipe out all traces of”
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