Wiktionary

deplete

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō.

Pronunciation

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  • (US, UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈpliːt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːt

Verb

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deplete (third-person singular simple present depletes, present participle depleting, simple past and past participle depleted)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To empty or unload, as the vessels of the human system, by bloodletting or by medicine.
    I noticed a couple of days ago how quickly the battery depletes.
    The ink depletes too quickly.
    Depending on what you print, one color usually depletes faster than the others.
    The temperature gauge doesn't work and the coolant depletes quickly from the reservoir.
    The winter storm quickly depleted the salt supply of the county.
    This drug can deplete the body of magnesium.
    Certain medications can deplete vitamin D.
  2. To reduce by destroying or consuming the vital powers of; to exhaust, as a country of its strength or resources, a treasury of money, etc.
    • 1989 December 17, Edward Inman, “Disobeying An Order To Piss Lands Transsexual In Isolation”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 23, page 5:
      He said that if I could not urinate within the next few hours I would be charged with refusing to comply with an order and be punished. In spite of my inability to eat much due to my depleted physical condition, I drank as much as I could and still was unable to urinate within the prescribed time.
    • 2007, John Zerzan, Silence‎[1]:
      Its reserves have been invaded and depleted.
    • 2022 October 25, L. J. Shrum, Elena Fumagalli, Tina M. Lowrey, “Coping with loneliness through consumption”, in Journal of Consumer Psychology, volume 33, number 2, →DOI, pages 441–465:
      Constant vigilance for social threats and the negative emotions it produces (e.g., anxiety) deplete self-regulatory resources.

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Italian

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Adjective

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deplete

  1. feminine plural of depleto

Latin

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Verb

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dēplēte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēpleō
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