Herem

חָרַם

And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make amarriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. Deuteronomy 7:2

The phrase “utterly destroy” in KJV English is the Hebrew תַּחֲרִים֙ הַחֲרֵ֤ם

The root is Strong’s # H2763

châram

khaw-ram'

A primitive root; to seclude; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physically and reflexively to be blunt as to the nose: - make accursed, consecrate, (utterly) destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose, utterly (slay, make away).

In Leviticus 27:28-29, it is used to describe complete consecration to YHWH.  It can be about absolute commitment to whatever God requires.  The Hebrew letters can make the picture of a fence between a person and chaos.

It can mean the removal of something from human use; not all herem objects were destroyed. Destruction, when it occurs, is a means to an end, the removal of the object for use.