Nearby Words

annihilating

[uh-nahy-uh-leyt] Origin

an·ni·hi·late

[uh-nahy-uh-leyt]
verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
1.
to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly: The heavy bombing almost annihilated the city.
2.
to destroy the collective existence or main body of; wipe out: to annihilate an army.
3.
to annul; make void: to annihilate a law.
4.
to cancel the effect of; nullify.
5.
to defeat completely; vanquish: Our basketball team annihilated the visiting team.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English adnichilat(e) destroyed < Late Latin annihilātus brought to nothing, annihilated (past participle of annihilāre) (Latin an- an-2 + nihil nothing + -ātus -ate1)

an·ni·hi·la·tive [uh-nahy-uh-ley-tiv, uh-luh] , an·ni·hi·la·to·ry [uh-nahy-uh-luh-tawr-ee, ‐tohr-ee] , adjective
un·an·ni·hi·lat·ed, adjective
un·an·ni·hi·la·tive, adjective
un·an·ni·hi·la·to·ry, adjective


1. ravage, devastate, desolate. 1, 2. smash, obliterate, demolish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To annihilating

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Annihilating is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

annihilate
1520s, from an obsolete adj. meaning "reduced to nothing" (late 14c.), originally the pp. of a verb, anihil, from O.Fr. annichiler, from L.L. annihilare "to reduce to nothing," from L. ad- "to" + nihil "nothing" (see nil).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature