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delete

Syllabification: (de·lete)
Pronunciation: /diˈlēt/
Translate delete | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of delete

verb

[with object]
  • remove or obliterate (written or printed matter), especially by drawing a line through it or marking it with a delete sign:the passage was deleted
  • (usually be deleted) remove (data) from a computer’s memory.
  • (be deleted) Genetics (of a section of genetic code, or its product) be lost or excised from a nucleic acid or protein sequence:if one important gene is deleted from an animal’s DNA, other genes can stand in
  • remove (a product, especially a recording) from the catalog of those available for purchase:their EMI release has already been deleted

noun

  • a command or key on a computer that erases text.

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'destroy'): from Latin delet- 'blotted out, effaced', from the verb delere

delete in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of delete in the British & World English dictionary

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