Getting rid of or destroying something completely, especially pests or unwanted organisms.
From Latin 'exterminare' meaning 'to drive out beyond boundaries,' combining 'ex-' (out) and 'terminus' (boundary or end), originally meaning to exile rather than kill.
The word's Latin root literally means 'driving beyond the border'—so when we use it for pest control today, we're echoing an ancient Roman concept of expulsion and boundary-setting.
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