deplete

Definition

To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō. First attested in 1716; originally a medical term.

Example Sentences

• "The winter storm quickly depleted the salt supply of the county."
• "Their numbers have been very heavily depleted in the last few years, and soon a most familiar part of the southern railway scene will have vanished: […]."
• "... depleting the minerals and fuels of the more developed states, leading to a scarcity of these crucial resources."

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