raze Look up raze at Dictionary.com
1547, alteration of racen "pull or knock down" (a building or town), from earlier rasen (14c.) "to scratch, slash, scrape, erase," from O.Fr. raser "to scrape, shave," from M.L. rasare, frequentative of L. radere (pp. rasus) "to scrape, shave," perhaps from PIE *razd- (cf. L. rastrum "rake"), possible extended form of PIE base *red- "to scrape, scratch, gnaw" (see rodent).