English
extermination
Extermination comes from Ecclesiastical Latin exterminātiō ‘banishment’, from Latin terminō ‘to mark off, set bounds to’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘a boundary, limit, end’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminō‘to mark off, set bounds to’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexterminō‘to expel, exile or banish’
- Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500exterminātiō‘banishment’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600extermination
- Englishearliest quotation 1941same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘a boundary, limit, end’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminō‘to mark off, set bounds to’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexterminō‘to expel, exile or banish’
- Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500exterminātiō‘banishment’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600extermination
- Englishearliest quotation 1941same form
Earliest quotation: 1941, C. Hamilton Ellis, The Scottish Station: “Caley locomotive types, especially such numerous things as McIntosh…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’
thrill, intrigue, treachery, thro, inextricable, 26 more
through Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ ‘boundary, end’
through Proto-Italic *term(e)nos ‘boundary stone’
terminal, terminus, determinate, 19 more
through Latin terminus ‘a boundary, limit, end’
through Latin terminō ‘to mark off, set bounds to’
determination, terminate, terminator, determinism, interminable, 8 more
Today it means
noun The act of exterminating; total destruction or eradication.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ / extermination