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ex·haust (ĭg-zôst)
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v. ex·haust·ed, ex·haust·ing, ex·hausts
v.tr.
1. To make extremely weary; wear out. See Synonyms at tire1.
2.
a. To remove a resource from; deplete: tobacco crops that exhausted the soil of nutrients.
b. To use up completely: a costly project that exhausted our funds. See Synonyms at deplete.
3. To discuss or treat completely; cover thoroughly: exhaust a topic.
4.
a. To let out the contents of (a container); cause or allow to escape: a leak that exhausted the air tank.
b. To let out or draw off (a gas, for example) from a container.
v.intr.
To escape or pass out: Steam exhausts through this valve.
n.
1.
a. The escape or release of vaporous waste material, as from an engine.
b. The fumes or gases so released.
2. A duct or pipe through which waste material is emitted.
3. An apparatus for drawing out noxious air or waste material by means of a partial vacuum.
[Latin exhaurīre, exhaust- : ex-, ex- + haurīre, to draw.]
ex·hausted·ly adv.
ex·hauster n.
ex·haust′i·bili·ty n.
ex·hausti·ble adj.
ex·hausting·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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