Bwa-ha-ha, it’s not much of a choice in this word confusion exsanguinate versus exterminate.
To exsanguinate, someone (or something) has to bleed out.
To exterminate, someone (or something) is destroyed.
Although, I can see how these two could be interchangeable, as being exsanguinated usually means one is exterminated . . .
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Exsanguinate | Exterminate |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, intransitive & transitive
Gerund: exsanguinating Third person present verb: exsanguinates |
Verb, transitive
Gerund: exterminating Third person present verb: exterminates |
| Verb, intransitive: [Medicine] To be drained of blood To bleed to death Verb, transitive: To make bloodless |
Verb, transitive: To destroy (living things, especially pests or vermin) completely
|
| Examples: | |
| Verb, intransitive: O Blessed Mother, he has been exsanguinated. Even the rats were exsanguinated. “He won’t tolerate not doing a resection. Now let’s get this stomach out and get out of here before he exsanguinates on the table!” (Kraus, ch 12, p 165). Verb, transitive: “And I do have to admit that once the episode revealed that the girls killed their dads because of a chromosomal predisposition, I made a note to have my daughter tested for that “exsanguinate your father” gene!” (Farrand). “Dr. [J. Leonard] Corning first exsanguinates the part to be anæsthetized with an Esmarch bandage. He next applies a tourniquet above the bandage and the latter is removed” (Ashby, p 46, col 2). |
Verb, transitive: After exterminating the entire population, the soldiers set fire to the buildings. They use poison to exterminate moles. The company exterminated the termites that were weakening the wall. Rats must be exterminated from a building or they will cause disease. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Noun: exsanguination | Adjective: exterminable, exterminative, exterminator, exterminatory, unexterminable, unexterminated Noun: extermination, nonextermination, self-extermination |
| History of the Word: | |
| From the Latin exsanguinātus meaning drained of blood, ex- (ex-) + sanguis, sanguin- (blood). | Late Middle English, in the sense drive out, is from the Latin exterminat- meaning driven out, which is from the verb exterminare, from ex- (out) + terminus (boundary).
The sense destroy (mid-16th century) comes from the Latin of the Vulgate. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Exsanguinate versus Exterminate
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Apple Dictionary.com
Ashby, Thomas A[lmond]. (ed) “The Painless Production of Local Anæsthesia.” Maryland Medical Journal: A Weekly Journal of Medicine and Surgery. 1886 Nov 13. Baltimore, MD: Journal Publishing Company. <URL>. Journal.
Dictionary.com: exsanguinate, exterminate
Farrand, Phil. “First Season [Eve].” The Nitpicker’s Guide for X-philes. New York: Dell Publishing, 1997.
The Free Dictionary: exterminate
Kraus Jr, Harry Lee. Stainless Steel Hearts. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 1994.
Pinterest Photo Credits
The Zombie Bride is in the public domain, via PickPik.
