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devastate
To devastate is defined as to destroy or ruin something or to cause someone to be overwhelmed with grief.
(verb)- When a hurricane destroys a town, this is an example of a time when it devastates the town.
- When you tell a person that his spouse died, this is an example of a time when you devastate him.
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See devastate in Webster's New World College Dictionary
transitive verb devastated, devastating
- to lay waste; make desolate; ravage; destroy
- to make helpless; overwhelm: the teacher's criticism devastated him
Origin: < L devastatus, pp. of devastare, to lay waste < de-, intens. + vastare, to make empty < vastus, empty: see vast
Related Forms:
- devastatingly adverb
- devastator noun
See devastate in American Heritage Dictionary 4
transitive verb dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates
- To lay waste; destroy.
- To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark.
Origin:
Origin: Latin dēvāstāre, dēvāstāt-
Origin: : dē-, de-
Origin: + vāstāre, to lay waste (from vāstus, empty, desolate; see euə- in Indo-European roots)
.Related Forms:
- devˈas·tatˌing·ly adverb
- devˌas·taˈtion noun
- devˈas·taˌtor noun
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