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elimination

Etymology and origin of the English word elimination

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1601

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪˌlɪm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is a noun of action formed from eliminate.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The divulging of secrets, a sense now obsolete: 1601.[3][4] Etymonline gives a casting out, about 1600.[2]

Semantic evolution

Expulsion or getting rid of anything is from 1627.[3][5] In algebra, the removal of a quantity from equations is from 1845,[3] and in physiology the throwing off of waste matter from the body from 1855.[3][2] Figurative uses are from 1859.[3]

Timeline

  • 1601 – divulging secrets (obsolete).[3][4]
  • 1627 – expulsion, removal.[3][5]
  • 1845 – elimination (algebra).[3]
  • 1855 – expulsion of waste matter.[3][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of eliminating, or the state of being eliminated; removal.
  2. (physiology) The expulsion of waste matter from the body.
  3. (algebra) The removal of an unknown quantity from a set of equations.

Word family

  • nonelimination

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Elimination.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/elimination. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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