devastar

to devastate

verb deh-bahs-TAHR Rare

Origin: Latin devastare, from de- (completely) + vastare (to lay waste)

Also means

to lay waste

Usage Note

Devastar is used both literally (a storm devastating a city) and figuratively (news devastating a person). The reflexive devastarse is less common; the adjective devastador (devastating) and noun devastación (devastation) are the most frequent derived forms. It is a regular -ar verb.

Examples

"El huracán devastó la costa en pocas horas."

Natural Translation

The hurricane devastated the coast in a few hours.

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