excise
Definitions
To remove something by cutting it out, especially surgically or from a text.
切除；删除。
A government tax on certain goods produced or sold within a country.
（国内）消费税，货物税。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedThe cutting verb is ex- (out) + cis (cut) = 'to cut out': a surgeon excises a tumour; an editor excises a paragraph. The tax noun is a different, unrelated word (probably from Dutch accijns) that just happens to be spelled the same — it does NOT come from caedere. Treat them as homographs.
Root cid still carries 44 more wordsWhy It Means This
Two words share the spelling excise. The verb 'to cut out' is a true caedere word: ex- + cis, the surgeon's or editor's removal of something. The financial noun 'excise (duty)' — the tax on tobacco, alcohol, fuel — has a separate Dutch origin and only collided with the cutting word by accident of spelling. Knowing this saves you from forcing a 'cut' meaning onto excise tax.
Common Collocations
- 1.excise a tumour切除肿瘤
- 2.excise a passage删去一段
- 3.excise duty消费税
- 4.excise tax货物税
Example Sentences
- 1.
The doctors excised the tumour and sent it for testing.
- 2.
The editor excised two whole chapters from the draft.
- 3.
The government raised the excise on cigarettes again.