1540s, "drive away," from Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare "drive out, expel, put aside, drive beyond boundaries," also, in Late Latin "destroy," from phrase ex termine "beyond the boundary," from ex- "out of" (see ex-) + termine, ablative of termen "boundary, limit, end" (see terminus).
Meaning "destroy utterly" is from 1640s in English, a sense found in equivalent words in French and in the Vulgate; earlier in this sense was extermine (mid-15c.). Related: Exterminated; exterminating.
雙語例句
1. A huge effort was made to exterminate the rats.
滅鼠花了大力氣。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Some people exterminate garden insects by spraying poison on the plants.
有些人在植物上噴撒毒劑以殺死花園內的昆蟲.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3. It is necessary to exterminate the post at the sawmill.