| 释义 |
ob·lit·er·ate
I. \-rə̇t\ adjective
Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare to obliterate
1. : blotted out : obliterated
2. : faint, indistinct, obscure — used especially of markings on an insect
II. \-ˌrāt, usu -ād.+V\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare, probably from ob- to, against, over + litera, littera letter — more at ob-, letter
transitive verb
1. : to remove from significance and bring to nothingness: as
a. : to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring, covering, or wearing or chipping away
< a dimness … envelops consciousness as mist obliterates a crag — Emily Dickinson >
< only copper so worn that even the stamp is obliterated — Amy Lowell >
b. : to remove utterly from recognition, cognizance, consideration, or memory
< a successful love crowned all other successes and obliterated all other failures — J.W.Krutch >
c.
(1) : to remove from existence : make nonexistent : destroy utterly all traces, indications, significance of
< many of our monuments … seem to shout for a friendly zeppelin to obliterate them — W.R.Inge >
(2) : to cause to disappear (as a body part, scar, or the lumen of a duct) : remove
< possible to obliterate the gall bladder by electrosurgical methods >
2. : to withdraw utterly from attention and make as inconspicuous as if nonexistent
< those hero-worshipers who obliterate themselves — Robert Lynd >
3. : cancel
intransitive verb
: to become obliterated
Synonyms: see erase |