Also 7 irradicate. [f. L. ērādīcāt- ppl. stem of ērādīcāre, f. L. ē out + rādīc-em, nom. rādix root.]
1. trans. To pull or tear up by the roots; to root out (a tree, plant, or anything that is spoken of as having ‘roots’).
1564–78. Bulleyn, Dial. agst. Pest. (1888), 48. And to the places aboute the rootes of the carbuncle round about it, this is good both to eradicate & defend the same.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 44/2. Till such time, as they [hayre] be vvholye eradicated, and rootede out.
1635. Nabbes, Hannibal & Scipio (1637), K iij. Okes eradicated By a prodigious whirlwind.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 213. Cauly-flowers over-speeding to pome and lead … should be quite eradicated.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Surv. Leviath. (1676), 111. To demolish all Buildings, eradicate all Plantations.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Infirmities of Trees, Such [Weeds] as can be eradicated must be diligently pluck’d up by the Hands.
1860. trans. Hartwig’s Sea & Wond., vi. 73. Huge weapons, fit for eradicating trees.
1871. Darwin, Desc. Man, II. xix. 348. The Indians of Paraguay eradicate their eyebrows and eyelashes, saying that they do not wish to be like horses.
2. To remove entirely, extirpate, get rid of.
1647–8. Cotterell, Davila’s Hist. Fr. (1678), 35. To see the seeds of those discords eradicated.
1656. Earl Monm., Advt. fr. Parnass., 49. Totally to irradicate all vertue from out his Subjects souls.
1658. A. Fox, trans. Würtz’ Surg., III. viii. 240. Without Chymical preparations congealed bloud will not be eradicated out of the body.
1784. Cowper, Task, V. 437. That man should thus encroach on fellow man … Eradicate him … Moves indignation.
1788. Reid, Act. Powers, III. III. iii. All desires and fears, with regard to things not in our power, ought to be totally eradicated.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, Pref. (1871), 13. By eradicating mercilessly the incorrigible.
1869. Lecky, Europ. Mor., II. i. 102. Laws of the most savage cruelty were passed in hopes of eradicating mendicancy.
† 3. Math. To extract the (square) root of (a number). Obs.
1610. W. Folkingham, Art of Survey, II. viii. 61. Eradicate the ductat of the said mediatie and remainders.
¶ Misused for IRRADICATE.
1657. Tomlinson, Renou’s Disp., 14. Seeds and plants sown and eradicated in the ground.
