The word " obliteration " comes from the verb "obliterate" which means to cancel, obstruct, cross out or cover. It is a term very little used in popular speech, being applied only in medical jargon.
Although to a lesser extent, it is also used in courier services to indicate that a stamp has already been used. In philately, obliteration is the act of marking a postage stamp to prevent further use.
Surgeons obliterating. Image by David Mark from Pixabay.com
Meaning
According to the RAE
The etymological root comes from Latin and derives from "oblilitare", which means "to forget" or "to erase". The Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DLE) indicates that “obliteration” is the action or effect of “obliterating”. Meanwhile, the latter is defined as a transitive verb synonymous with canceling, crossing out or erasing.
In a second sense, the RAE indicates that it is a word of medical use that means to obstruct or close a duct or cavity. Other authors point out that in the branch of botany, an "obliteration" is an obstruction of plant tissue (called phloem), produced by necrosis in a particular section.
Other uses
Where it is also widely used is in the postal field. In this case, "obliteration" occurs when a postmark is used, which is printed on the envelope so that it is not reused. In that case, one speaks of an “obliterated seal”.
The "obliteration" is crucial in the initial stage of evaluation of the shipment by the mail service, although it becomes irrelevant once the delivery is accepted. An example might be a stamp that is badly “postmarked” and looks new, which does not prevent the delivery of the message to its recipient, even when the postman in charge of the delivery notices it.
In any case, given the diminishing use of the postal service, the word "obliteration" is therefore rarely used. Then it can be said that its use occurs almost exclusively in medicine, although it can also be said by people who have a wide vocabulary and who resort to "obliteration" instead of other synonyms.
Synonyms
Some words with a similar meaning "obliteration" are "obstruction", "blockage", "obstacle", "hindrance", "stopper", "lock", "obstruction", "impediment", "jam", "obstacle", "Remora", "impasse", "jamming", "pregnancy", "occlusion", "obturation", "closure", "jamming", "blockage", "site", "fence", "interruption", "incommunicado ”,“ Crush ”,“ postmark ”,“ interruption ”,“ hindrance ”,“ brake ”,“ bottleneck ”,“ limitation ”,“ closure ”or“ complication ”.
Antonyms
Meanwhile, the words that mean the opposite of "obliteration" are "released", "enabled", "drained", "drained", "released", "released", "uncovered", "removed", "discovered", "Exempt", "unbaked", "drained", "avenado" or "desiccated".
Usage examples
- "Obliteration of the veins of the limbs and neck, regardless of the severity of the diseases in whose course it occurs, does not produce serious accidents."
- "The obliteration of the arteries has been attributed to the mutual adherence of their walls, a necessary effect of the adhesive inflammation of the arterial tunics caused by ligation or compression."
- "A bulky embolus is capable of obliterating a cerebral artery, producing extensive softening."
- "The performance of the rival team obliterated the attempts of the local forward."
- "I started the paperwork but the bureaucratic system is so big that it obliterates the whole process."
- "We fear that there is fat obliterating your arteries."
- "If you ask me for a divorce, I obliterate the process as much as I can."
- "The specially designed floodgates obliterate the passage of water before a flood of the river so that the city does not flood".
- "I never liked that guy, that's why I obliterated all the attempts he had to get closer to my family."
- "Among all the members of the party bloc we obliterated the bill in the Chamber of Deputies."
- "I would obliterate all kinds of intention if I knew that you are willing to approach me."
- "The protesters threaten the obliteration of the main avenues of the city if they do not give rise to what they demand."
- "The idea of continuing with the commercial obliteration of Cuba is already nonsense."
- "The commando group obliterated any border crossing in the north."
- "How strange, I received the letter but it is not obliterated."
References
- Obliteration. (2019). Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from: dle.rae.es
- Obliterate. (2019). Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from: dle.rae.es
- Phillip Sapp. "Contemporary oral and maxillofacial pathology". Recovered from: books.google.ba
- Complutense University. "Archive of Spanish and foreign medicine". Recovered from: books.google.ba