[ˈdeː.ɫe.oː], [ˈdɛː.le.o]
OriginTraditionally taken as a back-formation from dēlēvī, originally the perfect tense of dēlinō (“to wipe off”), from dē- + linō (“to daub, smear”). However, De Vaan is skeptical of the derivation due to the lack of concurrent attestation of dēlinō with linō and lēvī (all attestations of dēlinō come later), and prefers Meiser's derivation from a causative dē- + *oleō, the root being Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (“to destroy”), comparing Hittite [script needed] (hallanna/i-ᶦ, “to trample down”), Ancient Greek ὄλλῡμι (óllūmi, “to wreck, destroy”). Possibly also related to Ancient Greek δηλέομαι (dēléomai, “to destroy, annihilate, spoil”).
- conjugation-2to destroy, raze, annihilate
“234 - 149 B.C.E. — Cato the Elder
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam” — Furthermore I think Carthage must be destroyed
- conjugation-2to finish, terminate, put an end to
- conjugation-2to delete (e.g. Ecclesiastical: from the book of life)
Formsdēleō(canonical) · dēlēre(infinitive, present) · dēlēvī(active, perfect) · dēlētum(supine) · dēleō(active, first-person, indicative, present, singular) · dēlēs(active, indicative, present, second-person, singular) · dēlet(active, indicative, present, singular, third-person) · dēlēmus(active, first-person, indicative, plural, present) · dēlētis(active, indicative, plural, present, second-person) · dēlent(active, indicative, plural, present, third-person) · dēlēbam(active, first-person, imperfect, indicative, singular) · dēlēbās(active, imperfect, indicative, second-person, singular) · dēlēbat(active, imperfect, indicative, singular, third-person) · dēlēbāmus(active, first-person, imperfect, indicative, plural) · dēlēbātis(active, imperfect, indicative, plural, second-person) · dēlēbant(active, imperfect, indicative, plural, third-person) · dēlēbō(active, first-person, future, indicative, singular) · dēlēbis(active, future, indicative, second-person, singular) · dēlēbit(active, future, indicative, singular, third-person) · dēlēbimus(active, first-person, future, indicative, plural)