Where does “destructive” come from?
Destructive comes from Middle French destructif, from Latin destructivus, formed from the Latin verb struo meaning "to build or pile up" with the prefix de- meaning "down" and the suffix -ivus, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European ster- meaning "to spread or extend."
destructive (English): Causing destruction; damaging; Causing breakdown...
Definitions
- Causing destruction; damaging; Causing breakdown...
Ancestry of “destructive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | destructif | — |
| 2 | Latin | dēstructīvus | — |
| 3 | Latin | dēstruō | — |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 5 | Latin | dē | — |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
Words derived from “destructive”