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det·o·nate

(dĕtn-āt′)

intr. & tr.v. det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing, det·o·nates

To explode or cause to explode.

[Latin dētonāre, dētonāt-, to thunder down : dē-, de- + tonāre, to thunder; see (s)tenə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

deto·nat′a·ble adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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