deleo

See also: Deleo

Latin

Etymology

Traditionally taken as a back-formation from dēlēvī, originally the perfect tense of dēlinō (“to wipe off”), from dē- +‎ linō (“to daub, smear”). 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”). Possibly also related to Ancient Greek δηλέομαι (dēléomai, “to destroy, annihilate, spoil”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈdeː.le.oː/, [ˈd̪eːɫ̪eoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈde.le.o/, [ˈd̪ɛːleo]

Verb

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

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

• dēlētus

Descendants

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

References

• “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)