delete

de-lete · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To remove or erase written or printed matter, especially on a computer.

  2. 2.

    To remove or obliterate completely.

  3. 3.

    (genetics) To remove a section of genetic material.

Related words

Antonyms: add, create, insert, restore
See also: cancel, deleted, erase, remove
Synonyms: cancel, eliminate, erase, expunge, remove

Etymology

From Latin deletus, past participle of delere meaning "to destroy, blot out, efface," possibly from de- (away) + linere (to smear). Originally a proofreading term meaning to mark something for removal, it became common in computing contexts from the 1960s onward.