Remove

Remove is a transitive verb meaning to take something away from a position or to eliminate, detach, or extract something from a context. It can refer to physical actions (removing a nail), intangible actions (removing obstacles), or digital tasks (removing a file or a label). The noun form removal denotes the act or process of removing, or the thing that has been removed. In common usage, remove often implies an intentional or deliberate action.

Etymology and history: remove comes from the Latin removere, built from re- “back” or “again” and movere “to move.” In Old French and Middle English, forms related to remuer/remouvoir influenced the development of the modern English verb remove. The sense of moving something away from a position is central to its origin and broadens to abstract contexts such as removing hindrances, stains, or obstacles.

Contexts and examples: physical removal includes relocating items, removing clothing, or removing debris after a storm. In everyday life, removal can mean discarding unwanted objects or cleaning up. In computing and data management, removal refers to deleting or uninstalling software, files, or data. In medicine, surgical removal refers to excision or resection of tissue. In law and governance, removal from office denotes the act of displacing an officeholder. In mathematics and computer science, removal operations delete an element from a set or data structure.

See also: delete, erase, extract, detach, abolish.