extirpate
part of speech
verb (extirpate, extirpates, extirpated, extirpating)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) To extirpate something is to destroy it completely, pulling it out by the roots. tree →
2) (science) A species is extirpated from an area when it dies out there but still lives elsewhere. tree →
3) (medical) To extirpate can mean to remove an organ or growth completely by surgery. tree →
sense in the lessons
A rare, formal word. In nature and conservation, wolves were extirpated from Britain, but they still live in Canada; bears were extirpated in many places. In history and formal writing, people tried to extirpate ideas, diseases or crimes. Phrases: «extirpate a disease», «extirpated from the region».
examples
- The government tried to extirpate the disease completely. tree →
- Beavers were extirpated from England but have now returned. tree →
- Gardeners try to extirpate weeds by the roots. tree →
- The king vowed to extirpate all rebels. tree →
- The species is extirpated from Ireland but still lives in Scotland. tree →
- The surgeon extirpated the growth. tree →
note
Very formal; everyday speech says «wipe out» or «root out». Say «EK-ster-pate». Noun: extirpation. Difference: extinct = gone everywhere; extirpated = gone from one area only.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «extirpate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.