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devastate - 3 dictionary results

dev⋅as⋅tate

  [dev-uh-steyt]
Use devastate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -tat⋅ed, -tat⋅ing.
1. to lay waste; render desolate: The invaders devastated the city.
2. to overwhelm.
Origin:
1625–35; < L dēvastātus laid waste (ptp. of dēvastāre), equiv. to dē- de- + vast(āre) to lay waste (akin to vastus empty) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
dev⋅as⋅ta⋅tive, adjective
dev⋅as⋅ta⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. destroy, sack, despoil. See ravage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To devastate
dev·as·tate   (děv'ə-stāt')   
tr.v.   dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates
  1. To lay waste; destroy.
  2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark.

[Latin dēvāstāre, dēvāstāt- : dē-, de- + vāstāre, to lay waste (from vāstus, empty, desolate; see euə- in Indo-European roots).]
dev'as·tat'ing·ly adv., dev'as·ta'tion n., dev'as·ta'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Devastate

Dev"as*tate\ (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Devastated; p. pr. & vb. n. Devastating.] [L. devastatus, p. p. of devastare to devastate; de + vastare to lay waste, vastus waste. See Vast.] To lay waste; to ravage; to desolate.

Whole countries . . . were devastated. --Macaulay.

Syn: To waste; ravage; desolate; destroy; demolish; plunder; pillage.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : devastate
Spanish: devastar,
German: verwüsten,
Japanese: 荒らす
More Translations »
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