— erasability , n. — erasable , adj.
/i rays"/ , v. , erased, erasing .
v.t.
1. to rub or scrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, etc.; efface.
2. to eliminate completely: She couldn't erase the tragic scene from her memory.
3. to obliterate (material recorded on magnetic tape or a magnetic disk): She erased the message.
4. to obliterate recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk): He accidentally erased the tape.
5. Computers. to remove (data) from computer storage.
6. Slang. to murder: The gang had to erase him before he informed on them.
v.i.
7. to give way to effacement readily or easily.
8. to obliterate characters, letters, markings, etc., from something.
[ 1595-1605; erasus (ptp. of eradere ), equiv. to e- E- + rasus scraped; see RAZE ]
Syn. 1. expunge, obliterate. See cancel .
Ant. 1, 3. restore.