What does fumigate mean?
Word: Fumigate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Fumigate means to treat a room or building with special gas or smoke to get rid of insects or germs.
Word origin: Comes from Latin fumus, 'smoke'.
How do you spell fumigate?
Syllables: fu - mi - gate
Tricky part: The word is linked to fumes, so students keep the e and write fumegate. The vowel after the m is an i.
Watch out for: fumegate, fumagate
Memory tip: Keep this saying in your head: out go the fumes, in goes the i.
Fumigate in a sentence
Example 1: The museum will fumigate its old map room this weekend.
Example 2: The ship's hold was fumigated before it left the port at Kochi.
Example 3: The school closed on Saturday so that workers could fumigate the library.
Fun Fact
In parts of the USA, whole houses are wrapped in huge tents before being fumigated against termites.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
tgmuifea 12345678
a) 64352817
b) 63452817
c) 54362817
d) 64358217
Show answer
a) 64352817. Letter 6 gives the opening f, and the rest follow to spell the verb.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
fumi____
a) gate
b) gait
c) gaet
d) gayt
Show answer
a) gate. Verbs such as navigate and irrigate close with this spelling too.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. fumigate 2. scour 3. sift a. to rub a surface hard to clean it b. to treat a closed space with vapour against pests c. to pass flour through a fine mesh
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Vapour clears the pests, you scour a burnt pan, and a cook will sift flour for a cake.
Sound Check
In which word is 'u' pronounced differently?
a) cubic
b) ruby
c) fumigate
d) humid
Show answer
b) ruby. Ruby has the plain oo sound; the other three have a yoo sound.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why would a grain store be fumigated before the harvest arrives?
a) to stop weevils from spoiling the crop
b) to make the grain taste a little sweeter
c) to give the building a fresh coat of paint
d) to dry out the walls after the rains
Show answer
a) to stop weevils from spoiling the crop
2. Just after a room has been fumigated, what should people do?
a) open a tin of food inside it
b) sleep there for one whole night
c) stay out until the air is safe
d) light candles in each corner
Show answer
c) stay out until the air is safe
