Where does “destroy” come from?
Destroy comes from Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, from Vulgar Latin destrugere, from Latin destrugo and destruo, meaning to tear down or undo, from struo meaning to build or pile up, with the prefix de- meaning away, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ster-.
destroy (English): To damage beyond use or repair; To neutralize,...
Definitions
- To damage beyond use or repair; To neutralize,...
Ancestry of “destroy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | destroyen | to destroy |
| 2 | Old French | destruire | to destroy |
| 3 | Latin | destrugō | to destroy |
| 4 | Latin | dēstruō | to destroy, demolish, ruin |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |