Etymology tree Latin dēleō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin dēlētiōnem English deletion From Latin dēlētiōnem (“destruction, effacement”), from the past-participle stem of dēlēre (“to blot out, destroy, efface”). Equivalent to delete + -ion.