Where does “destruction” come from?
Destruction comes from Old French destrucion, from Latin destructio (the act of destroying), derived from Latin destruo (to destroy), which combines Latin de (away) with Latin struo (to build or pile up), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ster- meaning to spread or strew.
destruction (English): The act of destroying; The results of a...
Definitions
- The act of destroying; The results of a...
Ancestry of “destruction”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | destruccioun | — |
| 2 | Old French | destrucion | destruction |
| 3 | Latin | destructio | destruction, demolition; refutation |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | — |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | — |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
Words derived from “destruction”