Erase Comes From Scraping Parchment Clean
To erase is to remove something written. The Latin verb behind it means to scrape, which is exactly how it was once done.
To erase is to remove writing or data. The Latin *eradere* means to scrape out, and that is literally what medieval scribes did: parchment was expensive, so old text was scraped off with a knife and the sheet reused. A manuscript reused this way is called a *palimpsest*, and modern imaging can often read the scraped-away text underneath. The related *rase* or *raze*, to level a building, is the same root applied to buildings.
- To remove writing. *Erase the note.*
- To delete data. *Erase the file.*
- Eraser — the rubber. *A pencil eraser.*
- Palimpsest — reused parchment. *A famous palimpsest.*
- Raze — to level to the ground. *Razed the town.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | erase | Erase it. |
| Past | erased | It was erased. |
| Agent | eraser | An eraser. |
| Noun | erasure | Data erasure. |
| Latin | eradere | To scrape out. |
- He erased the pencil marks.Writing.
- The tape had been erased.Recording.
- Eradere means to scrape out.Etymology.
British and American rubbing out
- Rubber (UK) — eraser (US), the object
- Rub out (UK) — erase (US), the everyday verb
- Erase is standard in both for data and recordings
- Palimpsest — a manuscript scraped and reused
- Raze — the same root, applied to buildings
Latin *erasus*, the past participle of *eradere*, to scrape out, from *ex-* plus *radere*, to scrape.
What is a palimpsest?
A manuscript whose original text was scraped off so the parchment could be reused. Modern imaging can often recover the lost writing.
Are erase and raze related?
Yes. Both come from Latin radere, to scrape. Raze applies the idea to buildings levelled to the ground.