different between undermine vs ravage

English

Etymology

From under- +? mine.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?nd??ma?n/
• Rhymes: -a?n

Verb

undermine (third-person singular simple present undermines, present participle undermining, simple past and past participle undermined)

1. To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap. [from 14th c.]
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 312:

     Martin, for instance, had on one occasion undermined a tree sacred to old gods, then stood in the path of its fall, but forced it to fall elsewhere by making the sign of the Cross.

2. (figuratively) To weaken or work against; to hinder, sabotage. [from 15th c.]

3. To erode the base or foundation of something, e.g. by the action of water.

Antonyms

• undergird

Translations

Further reading

• undermine in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• undermine in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• undermine at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “undermine”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

English

Etymology

From French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ?????? (harpáz?, “to seize”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??æv?d?/

Verb

ravage (third-person singular simple present ravages, present participle ravaging, simple past and past participle ravaged)

1. (transitive) To devastate or destroy something.
2. (transitive) To pillage or sack something, to lay waste to something.
3. (intransitive) To wreak destruction.

Related terms

• rapid

Translations

Noun

ravage (plural ravages)

1. Grievous damage or havoc.
2. Depredation or devastation

   the ravage of a lion; the ravages of fire or tempest; the ravages of an army, or of time

Translations

Further reading

• ravage in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ravage in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ra??va?.??/
• Hyphenation: ra?va?ge
• Rhymes: -a???

Noun

ravage f (plural ravages)

1. havoc, damage

Anagrams

• gevaar

French

Etymology

From ravine (“rush of water”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.va?/

Noun

ravage m (plural ravages)

1. singular of ravages
2. (archaic) The act of laying waste.

Verb

ravage

1. first-person singular present indicative of ravager
2. third-person singular present indicative of ravager
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of ravager
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of ravager
5. second-person singular imperative of ravager

Further reading

• “ravage” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• gavera