Wiktionary:Word of the day/2023/April 30

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obliterate v

(transitive) To destroy (someone or something) completely, leaving no trace; to annihilate, to wipe out. To hide (something) by covering it; to conceal, to obscure. (also figuratively) To make (a drawing, text which is printed or written, etc.) indecipherable, either by erasing or obscuring it; to blot out, to efface, to delete. (biology, pathology, surgery, chiefly passive voice) To impair the function and/or structure of (a body cavity, vessel, etc.) by ablating or occluding it (in the latter case, chiefly by filling it with tissue). (philately) To cancel (a postage stamp) with a postmark so it cannot be reused. (intransitive) To remove completely, leaving no trace. (biology, pathology) Of a body cavity, vessel, etc.: to close up or fill with tissue; of perfusion or a pulse: to cease owing to obstruction. obliterate adj (obsolete) (except poetic) Completely destroyed or erased; effaced, obliterated. (entomology, rare) Of markings on an insect: difficult to distinguish from the background; faint, indistinct.

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