Where does “ruin” come from?

Ruin comes from Middle English ruine, from Old French ruine, from Latin ruina meaning "a falling down," from Latin ruo meaning "to fall," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃rew-.

ruin (English): The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated...

Definitions

  1. The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated...

Ancestry of “ruin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishruyneDecline, decay, deterioration; loss of greatness;...
2Old Frenchruineruin
3Latinruīnaa falling down, collapse, ruin, destruction
4Latinruōto hurry, rush, hasten, move quickly
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rew-to run, to hurry
6Proto-Indo-European-w-—

Words derived from “ruin”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -w- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃rew- →Every word from Latin ruō →
ruin — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer