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destruo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word destruo

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (struō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈdeːs.tru.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdɛs.tru.o][1]

Forms

dēstruō (present infinitive dēstruere, perfect active dēstrūxī, supine dēstrūctum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from dē- (“down”) and struō “to build, pile up”, the opposite of cōnstruō.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Cicero, who says that the one who built a ship or building pulls it down most easily.[2][3] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to demolish, pull down a building, as in Cicero, and figuratively to destroy, ruin, as Livy's destruction of the law and Tacitus' of an enemy.[2][5] In Quintilian it meant to refute an argument.[2] Döderlein says dēstruere is to pull down an artificial structure, dēmōlior a solid building.[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to destroy, ruin.[7] Through Vulgar Latin *dēstrūgere and Old French destruire it is the source of English destroy about 1200, and English destruction comes from dēstrūctiō.[8]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of pulling down a building.[2][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of destroying the law.[5][4]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of refuting arguments.[2][4]
  • c. 1200 – English destroy is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To demolish, pull down.[2]
  2. To destroy, ruin.[2]
  3. To refute (arguments).[2]

Word family

  • destructilis
  • dēstrūctiō
  • dēstrūctīvus
  • dēstrūctor

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Destruo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/destruo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·