b. to determine by litigation or agreement the amount of (damages, indebtedness, etc)
2.
a. to terminate the operations of (a commercial firm, bankrupt estate, etc) by assessment of liabilities and appropriation of assets for their settlement
b. (of a commercial firm, etc) to terminate operations in this manner
c.1575, "to reduce to order, to set out clearly" (of accounts), from L.L. liquidatus, pp. of liquidare "to melt, make liquid or clear, clarify," from L. liquidus (see liquid). Sense of "clear away" (a debt) first recorded 1755. The meaning "wipe out, kill" is from 1924, possibly
tv. to kill someone. (Underworld.) : They used a machine gun to liquidate a few troublesome characters.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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