dēleō
Traditionally taken as a back-formation from dēlēvī, originally the perfect tense of dēlinō (“to wipe off”), from dē- + linō (“to daub, smear”).[1] However, de Vaan is skeptical of the derivation due to the lack of concurrent attestation of dēlinō with linō and lēvī (all attestations of dēlinō come later), and prefers Meiser's derivation from a causative *dē-oleō, from dē- + Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (“to destroy”), comparing Hittite [script needed] (hallanna/i-ᶦ, “to trample down”), Ancient Greek ὄλλῡμι (óllūmi, “to wreck, destroy”).[2] Possibly also related to Ancient Greek δηλέομαι (dēléomai, “to destroy, annihilate, spoil”).
dēleō (present infinitive dēlēre, perfect active dēlēvī, supine dēlētum); second conjugation
- to destroy, raze, annihilate [ quotations ▼]
- to finish, terminate, put an end to
- to delete (e.g. Ecclesiastical: from the book of life)
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈdeː.le.oː/, [ˈd̪eːɫ̪eoː]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈde.le.o/, [ˈd̪ɛːleo]