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deleterious - 6 dictionary results

del⋅e⋅te⋅ri⋅ous

[del-i-teer-ee-uhs]
–adjective
1. injurious to health: deleterious gases.
2. harmful; injurious: deleterious influences.

Origin:
1635–45; < Gk dēlētrios destructive, adj. deriv. of dēlētr destroyer, equiv. to dēlē- var. s. of dēleîsthai to hurt, injure + -tēr agent suffix + -ios adj. suffix; see -ious


del⋅e⋅te⋅ri⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
del⋅e⋅te⋅ri⋅ous⋅ness, noun


2. pernicious, hurtful, destructive; noxious.


2. beneficial.
del·e·te·ri·ous   (děl'ĭ-tîr'ē-əs)   
adj.  Having a harmful effect; injurious: the deleterious effects of smoking.

[From Greek dēlētērios, from dēlētēr, destroyer, from dēleisthai, to harm.]
del'e·te'ri·ous·ly adv., del'e·te'ri·ous·ness n.

Deleterious

Del`e*te"ri*ous\, a. [LL. deleterius noxious, Gr. dhlhth`rios, fr. dhlei^sqai to hurt, damage; prob. akin to L. delere to destroy.] Hurtful; noxious; destructive; pernicious; as, a deleterious plant or quality; a deleterious example. -- Del`e*te"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Del`e*te"ri*ous*ness, n.

deleterious 
1643, from Gk. deleterios, from deleter "destroyer," from deleisthai "to hurt, injure."

Main Entry: del·e·te·ri·ous
Pronunciation: "del-&-'tir-E-&s
Function: adjective
: harmful often in a subtle or anunexpected way deleterious effects —The Sciences> <deleterious genes>

deleterious del·e·te·ri·ous (děl'ĭ-tēr'ē-əs)
adj.
Having a harmful effect; injurious.

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