ˈfyüməˌgāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin fumigatus, past participle of fumigare, from fumus smoke + -igare (akin to Latin agere to drive) — more at agent
1. : to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to
tribes that fumigate bodies to dry and preserve them
as
a. archaic : to scent with incense or perfume
with fragrant thyme the city fumigate — John Dryden
b. : to treat (as a house or room) with a gas for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests
c. : to make an odor imperceptible in (as a room) especially by permeation with aromatic fumes
2. : to remove or conceal what is offensive in
the descriptions of … illnesses might very well have been fumigated — Clifton Fadiman