Etymology 1
From Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to pull; to strip off; to pluck or tear out; to root out (a tree, etc.); to pull away, snatch; to pull down; to knock down; to rend, tear apart; to pick clean, strip; to cleave, slice; to sever; to lacerate; to pierce; to carve, engrave; to dig; (figuratively) to expunge, obliterate; to alter”) [and other forms],[1] from Anglo-Norman raser, rasere, rasser, Middle French, Old French raser (“to shave; to touch lightly, graze; to level off (grain, etc.) in a measure; to demolish, tear down; to erase; to polish; to wear down”), from Vulgar Latin *raso (“to shave; to scrape; to scratch; to touch lightly, graze”), from Latin rāsus (“scraped; shaved”), the perfect passive participle of rādō (“to scrape, scratch; to shave; to rub, smooth; to brush along, graze”),[2] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, scratch; to gnaw”). Doublet of rash (etymology 2 and etymology 7).
Verb
raze (third-person singular simple present razes, present participle razing, simple past and past participle razed)
- (transitive) To demolish; to level to the ground.
2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in The Guardian, London:Just as significant in the long term, Chelsea were also granted permission this season for their new on-site mega-stadium, a 60,000-seat upgrade that will mean the current Stamford Bridge is razed and replaced by something that looks like a vast alien space yurt made of giant Martian redwood stems.
- (transitive) To destroy; to strike out of existence; to obliterate.
c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act IIII, scene i:UUithout reſpect of ſex, degree or age.
He raceth all his foes with fire and ſword.
- (transitive) To scrape as if with a razor.
c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:Draw forth thy ſword, thou mightie man at armes,
Intending but to raiſe my charmed ſkin:
And Ioue himſelfe will ſtretch his hand from heauen,
To ward the blow, and ſhield me ſafe from harme, […]
Translations
to demolish
- Catalan: arrasar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 拆毀/拆毁 (zh) (chāihuǐ), 夷為平地/夷为平地 (zh) (yíwéipíngdì)
- Czech: srovnat se zemí (cs) pf, zbourat (cs) pf, zdemolovat pf
- Danish: rasere
- Finnish: tuhota maan tasalle, hävittää maan tasalle
- French: raser (fr)
- Greek:
- Ancient: ἐδαφίζω (edaphízō)
- Icelandic: rífa niður, leggja í rúst, jafna við jörðu
- Ido: rezigar (io)
- Italian: abbattere (it), demolire (it)
- Latin: complānō, assolo
- Maori: tāhoro
- Polish: zburzyć (pl)
- Portuguese: demolir (pt), arrasar (pt), aniquilar (pt)
- Russian: разрушать до основания (razrušatʹ do osnovanija)
- Serbo-Croatian: sravniti (sh)
- Spanish: arrasar (es), demoler (es), abatir (es), aniquilar (es)
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to scrape as if with a razor