eliminere

Eliminere is a term that appears mainly in linguistic and philological discussions as the hypothetical Latin infinitive of a verb meaning to remove or to eliminate. It is not attested in classical Latin texts, and standard Latin grammars do not treat it as a canonical verb. In most references, eliminare is the Romance form that has given rise to modern derivatives.

Etymology and relation to other languages: The concept of eliminere is tied to the Latin verb eliminare, which scholars commonly derive from the prefix ex- “out” and limen “threshold.” The English word eliminate traces its lineage to this same Latin root through Old French éliminer and later Middle English. In modern Romance languages, similar verbs exist—Italian eliminare, Spanish eliminar, Portuguese eliminar—while French uses éliminer. Eliminere itself is usually discussed as a reconstructed or illustrative form rather than a living word in Latin.

Usage and status: In contemporary usage, eliminare is the standard verb in Italian and related forms in other Romance languages; eliminere, by contrast, is not used as a spoken or written verb in those languages and remains a niche reference in linguistic literature. Scholars may cite eliminere to demonstrate how a Latin verb of the -ere class could be formed and inflected, but it does not appear in classical corpora.

Morphology (hypothetical): If treated as a Latin -ere verb, eliminere would follow regular patterns of that conjugation, with a present infinitive eliminere and derived forms such as eliminō or eliminet in various moods and voices. The participle would align with typical -ere verbs, yielding forms like elimināns (present active participle) and eliminātus (perfect participle), though these remain conjectural for the hypothetical verb.

See also: Elimination, Eliminate, Eliminare, Etymology of elimination.