Latin is where we can find the etymological origin of the term eradicate that concerns us now. Exactly it comes from the verb “eradicare”, which means “to uproot” and which is the result of the sum of the following lexical components:
-The prefix “ex-”, which is synonymous with “outwards”.
-The noun “radix, radicis”, which can be translated as “root”.
-The suffix “-ar”, which is used to indicate verbs.
The definition of eradicate presented by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary refers to removing or extirpating something from the roots .
For example: “Poverty must be eradicated from the world” , “All leaders should commit and work together to eradicate corruption from our political system” , “Experts suggested eradicating all plants affected by the fungus from the fields to avoid let it continue to spread.”
Among the synonyms of eradicate are from eliminate to extirpate through annihilate, uproot, suppress and exterminate. On the contrary, among its antonyms we find remain or take root, for example.
Eradicate is linked to eliminating an element in its entirety , reaching its foundations or origins. When a thing is eradicated, it ceases to exist or, at least, to have a presence in a certain area.
Currently, for example, there are various organizations that aim to eradicate gender violence . These entities develop various actions so that this type of violence disappears from society: their objective is not to mitigate or modify it, but to erase it.
In the same way, we have to establish the existence of an expression that is commonly used and that uses the term in question. We are referring to “eradicating an evil for good”. What they are trying to express with it is that it is going to end a situation at its roots.
Likewise, it is very frequently used to refer to the need to eliminate an insect or rodent infestation. Thus, for example, to eradicate a cockroach infestation it is necessary to resort to tricks such as placing aromatic herbs at home. You can also choose to use specific insecticide products for them or put yourself in the hands of companies specialized in eradicating this type. of pests. However, there are also homemade tricks such as using a mixture of sugar and baking soda.
Eradicating a disease , on the other hand, means ensuring that cases are no longer recorded anywhere. In this framework, smallpox is a disease that, thanks to vaccination and inoculation, could be eradicated in the late 1970s . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has highlighted that the eradication of smallpox was absolute: in fact the last case of “natural” contagion took place in 1977 , while the following year a medical photographer contracted this infectious disease in a laboratory. English. Since then, no new infections have occurred, so it can be said that the task of eradicating smallpox was successfully completed more than three decades ago.