Word of the Day - 04/02/26
deleterious
/,dɛlɪ'tiriəs/(adj.): harmful, especially to health
Exposure to high levels of radiation can have deleterious effects on living organisms.
Word Origin
The word “deleterious” comes from Latin. It originates from the adjective deleterius, which means “destructive” or “noxious,” itself derived from the verb delere, meaning “to destroy” or “to wipe out.”
Words with a similar origin include “delete”, which also comes from delere and carries the meaning of removing or erasing something, and “dilapidate”, which shares the sense of causing decay or ruin, though via a slightly different Latin root (lapis, meaning “stone,” in the case of buildings).