See also: Deleo

Latin

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Etymology

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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, the root being 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).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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dēleō (present infinitive dēlēre, perfect active dēlēvī, supine dēlētum); second conjugation

  1. to destroy, raze, annihilate
    • 234 - 149 B.C.E.Cato the Elder
      Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam
      Furthermore I think Carthage must be destroyed
  2. to finish, terminate, put an end to
  3. to delete (e.g. Ecclesiastical: from the book of life)

Conjugation

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   Conjugation of dēleō (second conjugation)
indicative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present dēleō dēlēs dēlet dēlēmus dēlētis dēlent
imperfect dēlēbam dēlēbās dēlēbat dēlēbāmus dēlēbātis dēlēbant
future dēlēbō dēlēbis dēlēbit dēlēbimus dēlēbitis dēlēbunt
perfect dēlēvī dēlēvistī dēlēvit dēlēvimus dēlēvistis dēlēvērunt,
dēlēvēre
pluperfect dēlēveram dēlēverās dēlēverat dēlēverāmus dēlēverātis dēlēverant
future perfect dēlēverō dēlēveris dēlēverit dēlēverimus dēlēveritis dēlēverint
passive present dēleor dēlēris,
dēlēre
dēlētur dēlēmur dēlēminī dēlentur
imperfect dēlēbar dēlēbāris,
dēlēbāre
dēlēbātur dēlēbāmur dēlēbāminī dēlēbantur
future dēlēbor dēlēberis,
dēlēbere
dēlēbitur dēlēbimur dēlēbiminī dēlēbuntur
perfect dēlētus + present active indicative of sum
pluperfect dēlētus + imperfect active indicative of sum
future perfect dēlētus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive singular plural
first second third first second third
active present dēleam dēleās dēleat dēleāmus dēleātis dēleant
imperfect dēlērem dēlērēs dēlēret dēlērēmus dēlērētis dēlērent
perfect dēlēverim dēlēverīs dēlēverit dēlēverīmus dēlēverītis dēlēverint
pluperfect dēlēvissem dēlēvissēs dēlēvisset dēlēvissēmus dēlēvissētis dēlēvissent
passive present dēlear dēleāris,
dēleāre
dēleātur dēleāmur dēleāminī dēleantur
imperfect dēlērer dēlērēris,
dēlērēre
dēlērētur dēlērēmur dēlērēminī dēlērentur
perfect dēlētus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect dēlētus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present dēlē dēlēte
future dēlētō dēlētō dēlētōte dēlentō
passive present dēlēre dēlēminī
future dēlētor dēlētor dēlentor
non-finite forms active passive
present perfect future present perfect future
infinitives dēlēre dēlēvisse dēlētūrum esse dēlērī dēlētum esse dēlētum īrī
participles dēlēns dēlētūrus dēlētus dēlendus
verbal nouns gerund supine
genitive dative accusative ablative accusative ablative
dēlendī dēlendō dēlendum dēlendō dēlētum dēlētū

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Asturian: dilir
  • Catalan: delir
  • Old French: delir (early Old French, attested once in the tenth century)
  • Portuguese: delir
  • Spanish: desleír (learned)
  • English: delete
  • French: délébile
  • ? Proto-West Germanic: *diligōn (see there for further descendants)

References

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  • deleo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • deleo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • deleo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to be burned to ashes: incendio deleri, absūmi
    • to blot out a reproach: maculam (conceptam) delere, eluere
    • nothing will ever make me forgetful of him: memoriam eius nulla umquam delebit (obscurabit) oblivio (Fam. 2. 1)
    • to be forgotten, pass into oblivion: oblivione obrui, deleri, exstingui
    • to banish all feeling of prejudice from the mind: suspicionem ex animo delere
    • to annihilate all religious feeling: omnem religionem tollere, delere
    • to proclaim a general amnesty: omnem memoriam discordiarum oblivione sempiterna delere (Phil. 1. 1. 1)
    • to trample all law under foot: ius ac fas omne delere
    • to annihilate, cut up the enemy, an army: hostes, exercitum delere, concīdere
    • to absolutely annihilate the enemy: hostes ad internecionem caedere, delere (Liv. 9. 26)
  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “delete”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 165