Deleterious \Del`e*te"ri*ous\, a. [LL. deleterius noxious, Gr.
dhlhth`rios, fr. dhlei^sqai to hurt, damage; prob. akin to L.
delere to destroy.]
Hurtful; noxious; destructive; pernicious; as, a deleterious
plant or quality; a deleterious example. --
{Del`e*te"ri*ous*ly}, adv. -- {Del`e*te"ri*ous*ness}, n.