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tr.v. ex·tir·pat·ed, ex·tir·pat·ing, ex·tir·pates 1. a. To destroy totally; kill off: an effort to reintroduce wildlife that had been extirpated from the region. b. To render absent or nonexistent: "No society ... is devoid of ... religion, even those ... which have made deliberate attempts to extirpate it" (Roy A. Rappaport). See Synonyms at eliminate. 2. To pull up by the roots. 3. To remove by surgery. [Latin exstirpāre, exstirpāt- : ex-, ex- + stirps, root.] ex′tir·pation n. extir·pa′tive adj. extir·pa′tor n. |
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