destructive
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Middle French destructif,[2][3] from Late Latin dēstrūctīvus,[2][3] from dēstrūctus, the past participle of dēstruō (“to tear down, demolish”) (see destroy).[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Causing destruction, tending to destroy: 1490 (Caxton) in the OED, the late 15th century in Etymonline.[4][2]
Semantic evolution
As a noun it meant a destructive agent or force from 1640, and a person who would overthrow existing institutions from 1832.[4] In politics and philosophy, opposed to constructive or conservative, it is from 1834;[4] destructive distillation in chemistry is from 1831.[4] Criticism meant to discredit without positive suggestions is called destructive in modern dictionaries.[5][6]
Timeline
- 1490 – causing destruction.[4]
- 1640 – a destructive agent.[4]
- 1831 – destructive distillation.[4]
- 1832 – a revolutionary (noun).[4]
Modern meaning
Adjective
- Causing great damage or destruction; ruinous.
- Meant to disprove or discredit rather than to help: destructive criticism.
Word family
- destructively
- destructiveness
- destructivity
- interdestructive
- overdestructive
- semidestructive
- nondestructive
- self-destructive
Related words
- destroy
- destruction
- construct
- structure
- instructive
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins