/ əˈblɪtəreɪt; NAmE / verb
[ vn ] [ often passive ] to remove all signs of sth, either by destroying or covering it completely :
The building was completely obliterated by the bomb.
The snow had obliterated their footprints.
Everything that happened that night was obliterated from his memory.
► ob·lit·er·ation / əˌblɪtəˈreɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin obliterat- struck out, erased, from the verb obliterare , based on littera letter, something written.