deracinate

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment
  2. verb pull up by or as if by the roots

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”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

uproot

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading