DEVASTATE


Meaning of DEVASTATE in English

/ ˈdevəsteɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ]

1.

to completely destroy a place or an area :

The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city.

2.

[ often passive ] to make sb feel very shocked and sad

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 17th cent.: from Latin devastat- laid waste, from the verb devastare , from de- thoroughly + vastare lay waste.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.