démolition

Forms

démolition f (plural démolitions)^[1] Middle French demolicion.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dēmōlītiō (“a pulling down, ruin, destruction”), borrowed in the 14th century.^[3][4][5] The Latin noun is formed on the supine of dēmōlior (“to pull down, demolish”),^[5][6][4] like the French verb démolir.^[7]

Cognate with Spanish demolición and Italian demolizione.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first use, in a French chronicle under the year 1302, is “defeat, rout”: Ceste instance de demolition et male aventure aux François fu pronostiquée (“this pressing defeat and misfortune of the French was foretold”).^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

The word soon joined the verb démolir in the sense “action of demolishing, destruction”, recorded in 1367.^[4][3] By metonymy the plural came to mean the materials left from demolished buildings, in 1676 according to the TLFi and Rey, in 1637 in Descartes according to the GLLF.^[3][4][6] It is also used figuratively for the destruction of an empire, a system or a theory.^[6][8] The later action noun démolissage (1882) sometimes competes with it.^[4]

Timeline

• 14th century – A French chronicle uses it for a defeat.^[3][4]
• 1367 – First recorded for the demolishing of a building.^[3][4]
• 1637 – Descartes uses the plural for building materials, according to the GLLF.^[6]
• 1676 – Félibien records the plural sense.^[3][4]
• 1882 – The competing noun démolissage appears.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The demolition of a building or structure: chantier de démolition, entreprise de démolition, en démolition.^[8][3]
2. (figurative) Destruction or ruin of something abstract, such as an empire or a theory.^[8][6]
3. (plural) The materials left from demolished buildings; rubble.^[8][3][7]

Related words

• démolir
• démolisseur
• démolissage
• Latin dēmōlior

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert