Where does “mass destruction” come from?
mass destruction (English) comes from English destruction, from Middle English destruccioun, from Old French destrucion, from Latin destructio, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
mass destruction (English): Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic...
Definitions
- Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic...
Ancestry of “mass destruction”, step by step
mass destruction traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English destruction
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | destruction | The act of destroying; The results of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | destruccioun | Destruction; the act of destroying or being destroyed |
| 3 | Old French | destrucion | destruction |
| 4 | Latin | destructio | destruction, demolition; refutation |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |