uproot

English

Etymology

From up- +‎ root.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌpˈɹuːt/
• Rhymes: -uːt

Verb

uproot (third-person singular simple present uproots, present participle uprooting, simple past and past participle uprooted) (transitive)

1. To root up; to tear up by the roots, or as if by the roots; to extirpate.
2. (by extension) To remove from a familiar circumstance, especially suddenly and unwillingly.
   • 1921, Ramsay MacDonald, Socialism: critical and constructive:

     The Anglification of Scotland has been proceeding apace to the damage of its education, its music, its literature, its genius, and the generation that is growing up under this influence is uprooted from its past, and, being deprived of the inspiration of its nationality, is also deprived of its communal sense.

3. (figurative) To destroy utterly; to eradicate, exterminate.

   Synonym: benothing

Synonyms

• (to root up) deracinate
• See also Thesaurus:destroy

Derived terms

• uprootal
• uprooted
• uprooting

Translations

to pull up by the roots

• Assamese: উঘাল (ughal), উভাল (ubhal)
• Finnish: juuria
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Galician: arrigar
• Maori: ranga

extirpate — see extirpate

eradicate — see eradicate

Anagrams

• root up