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devastation

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dev⋅as⋅ta⋅tion

  [dev-uh-stey-shuhn]
Use devastation in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of devastating; destruction.
2. devastated state; desolation.
Origin:
1425–75; late ME < LL dēvastātiōn- (s. of dēvastātiō), equiv. to L dēvastāt(us) (see devastate ) + -iōn- -ion
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Devastations
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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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Word Origin & History

devastation 
1461, from M.Fr. devastation, from L.L. devastationem, from L. devastare "lay waste completely," from de- "completely" + vastare "lay waste," from vastus "empty, desolate" (see waste). Devastate, probably a back-formation, is attested from 1638 but apparently was not common until 19c.; earlier verb form devast is attested from 1537, from Fr. devaster.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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