deracinate

Definition

To pull up by the roots; to uproot; to extirpate.

Etymology

PIE word *wréh₂ds First attested in 1609; calque of French déraciner on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from racine (“root”), from Latin rādīx, rādīcis (“a root”).

Example Sentences

• "Divert and crack, rend and deracinate, The unity and married calm of states Quite from their fixture!"
• "The State has no tool delicate enough to deracinate the rooted habits and tangled affections of the family; the two sexes, whether happy or unhappy, are glued together too tightly for us to get the blade of a legal penknife in between them."
• "Observing the highest echelons of Indian society, she notes the way in which some Indians become completely — almost absurdly — anglicized or deracinated."

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