Did you know?
The Root of Eradicate Is, Literally, Root
Given that eradicate first meant "to pull up by the roots," it's not surprising that the root of eradicate means, in fact, "root." Eradicate, which first turned up in English in the 16th century, comes from eradicatus, the past participle of the Latin verb eradicare. Eradicare, in turn, can be traced back to the Latin word radix, meaning "root" or "radish." Although eradicate began life as a word for literal uprooting, by the mid-17th century it had developed a metaphorical application to removing things the way one might yank an undesirable weed up by the roots. Other descendants of radix in English include radical and radish. Even the word root itself is related; it comes from the same ancient word that gave Latin radix.
Examples of eradicate in a Sentence
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 June 2026
This sequence of events used to occur regularly in the US and Central America; screwworm was endemic here but was eradicated after a concerted, decades-long campaign to annihilate its populations.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
It was eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, in Mexico in the 1970s, and much of Central America in the early 2000s, according to the CDC.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 9 June 2026
In cases of severe infestation, natural techniques may not completely eradicate the problem and could prolong discomfort for pets and humans.
—Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for eradicate
Cite this Entry
“Eradicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eradicate. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy Citation
