extermination

Definition

The act of exterminating; total destruction or eradication.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French extermination, itself a learned borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin exterminātiō.

Example Sentences

• "extermination of error or vice"
• "extermination of weeds from a field"
• "Depending on the case, extermination of a group of people may constitute genocide or crime against humanity."