anaireō

The root idea behind this word is taking something up and away, so its dominant use is doing away with a person, that is, putting someone to death. In Acts especially it is the standard word for lethal violence: Herod's slaughter of the infants, the repeated plots to kill Paul, the execution of James, and the stoning of Stephen all use it. It does not by itself name a method, whether sword, stoning, or formal execution; it simply says that someone was killed.

The same idea of removal reaches beyond people to things. In Hebrews the word describes God taking away the first covenant order so that a second can stand in its place. The object there is an institution, not a person, but the underlying action, doing away with something completely, is the same.

Because Luke supplies most of the New Testament uses, the word carries the flavor of his narratives of persecution and murderous intrigue, where it is almost a routine term for a life being taken.

In one place the word appears in a form that turns the action back on the doer: instead of taking someone away, a person takes someone up for herself. This is how Stephen describes Pharaoh's daughter rescuing the infant Moses and bringing him up as her own son.

Here the same verb that usually means putting someone to death means the opposite, taking a child up to keep and rear. This is a reminder that the word's core is simply "take up," and the setting decides whether that is taking up to destroy or taking up to save.