debunk

WOTD – 15 April 2010    

English

Etymology

de- +‎ bunk (from bunkum) 1923

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /diːˈbʌŋk/, /diːˈbʊŋk/
• (US) enPR: dĭ-bŭngkʹ, dē-bŭngkʹ, IPA: /dɪˈbʌŋk/, /ˌdiːˈbʌŋk/, X-SAMPA: /dI"bVNk/, /%di:"bVNk/
• Rhymes: -ʌŋk

Verb

debunk (third-person singular simple present debunks, present participle debunking, simple past and past participle debunked)

1. (transitive) To discredit, or expose to ridicule the falsehood or the exaggerated claims of something

   Sailing round the world debunked the theory that the earth was flat.

Translations

to discredit or expose the falsehood of something

• Armenian: մերկացնել (hy) (merkac’nel)
• Bulgarian: развенчавам (bg) (razvenčavam), изобличавам измама (bg) (izobličavam izmama)
• Dutch: doorprikken (nl), ontmaskeren (nl)
• Finnish: romuttaa (fi)
• French: dévoiler (fr), se déconsidérer (fr), mettre en pièces (fr), réduire à néant (fr), jeter l'opprobre sur (fr), se discréditer (fr)

• German: entlarven (de), diskreditieren (de)
• Macedonian: разоткрива (mk) (razótkriva), разобличува (mk) (razoblíčuva)
• Portuguese: (Brazilian) desacreditar (pt), ridicularizar (pt)
• Russian: развенчивать (ru) (razvenčivatʹ), разоблачать (ru) (razoblačatʹ)
• Spanish: desacreditar (es), ridiculizar (es), hacer añicos (es), desbaratar (es), hacer trizas (es), despedazar (es), destrozar (es), desprestigiar (es)

Anagrams

• bunked